


Quantum Entanglement

by WanderingWordsmith



Series: Quantum Entanglement [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: F/M, First Love, Lots of Angst, Michelle has a back story, Michelle is an Agent of SHIELD, Michelle's POV, Peter Parker Loves Michelle Jones, Rooftop Make-outs, Slow Burn, Spideychelle, The love story we deserved, TomDaya, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-06-04 20:28:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 102,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15155021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WanderingWordsmith/pseuds/WanderingWordsmith
Summary: The untold story of Michelle Jone's tragic past and how she falls in love with a skinny nerd from Midtown high.





	1. Glasses

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, friends! 
> 
> So, i'd like to preface this by saying I am NOT a writer. I am just a huge Marvel and Spider-Man fan who really wanted Michelle Jones to get a bigger part in the story. Although this story is based in the MCU, I have stolen and combined some characters and plot points from the Amazing Spiderman Movies and the comics so have an open mind. This is primarily a love story and was low-key inspired by all you Tomdaya shippers on instagram. This story started at three in the morning when I couldn't sleep and somehow ended up with twenty-four chapters, an epilogue, and a potential for a second installment. It gets better as we go. I promise...and yes, it get will eventually get a little steamy ;)
> 
> This story picks up BEFORE the beginning of Spider-Man homecoming from Michelle's point of view. 
> 
> So, just as a heads up I took some liberties with Peter's origin timeline. Basically in this story he gets his powers early in his sophomore year (August). The events in Civil War take place approximately six months later (February). Then the homecoming events pick up 'two months later' (April) and the dance is more of an end of the school year dance like prom would be-finishing out his sophomore year.
> 
> Enjoy and BE KIND.

Preface: Quantum Entanglement 

"In the field of quantum mechanics there is something called quantum entanglement. It is what happens when 2 particles interact, vibrate in unison and are separated, they remain connected by something that defies logic, something science has yet to explain. If one particle vibrates, no matter the distance, the other particle reacts in unison, even if there are oceans between them, even if there is a universe separating them. 

Before time we were just a dense collection of particles confined to a space smaller than a proton, interacting and moving in unison, an event occurred that rapidly expanded the particles and created the universe. There is no reason to believe the particles ever lost their entanglement. 

Now, when I say I am drawn to you, that I feel that I have known you since the beginning of time, know that it's beyond my control, know there are particles that compose me, my very fabric of being, and somewhere inside of you are the particles mine danced with millions of years ago. I've spent an eternity chasing that part of you." 

Tyler Kent White 

I can't believe it's my first day at high school.....again.

Michelle took a deep breath and exhaled loudly while examining her appearance in the mirror. Combat boots, ripped black jeans, and an ill fitting jacket she found at a thrift store a few weeks back. Her dark brown unruly curls stuck out randomly from a haphazard bun. Michelle grimaced when she saw the dark circles permanently etched under her sad brown eyes.

'Geez Michelle, would it kill you to smile? You are one tube of eye-liner away from being in a goth rock band and smoking cigarettes under the bleachers.

You see, Michelle Jones used to put a lot of effort into her appearance. She flat ironed her hair, beat her face down with all the latest beauty trends, and had always served looks in the pre-teen hallways of middle school. Especially on the first day at a new school, after all, you only get one chance at a first impression, right? Only that was three years and fifteen first-days ago and that version of herself was unrecognizable to her now having shed pieces of her former self in each city she left behind.

It's not that she didn't care about the way she looked. She had just completely given up on trying to impress her peers and fit in. She used to be fantastic at it. A virtual chameleon able to fit in at any school with any group. She had been the teachers pet, the free-spirited dancer, the theatre nerd, the popular cheerleader and everything in between. She could be anything for a mission, become anyone for a cover. She used to enjoy the thrill of showing up to a new school, examining the terrain, and transforming herself into the perfect new student. Unfortunately, MJ could only recreate and destroy herself so many times before the deep loneliness began to show through the cracks of her perfectly curated facades until there was nothing left but this. 

The perfect teenage agent. 

No connections. 

No distractions. 

No remorse.

She rolled her eyes at her own melodramatic internal monologue. She new she was privileged compared to so many women her age, but that didn't stop the darkness of isolation from creeping in. Tragedy was funny that way, it really couldn't be hidden and those who had experienced it wore it like a suit of armor. It came with the territory of being the daughter of two of the most deadly S.H.I.E.L.D agents to ever exist. Sure, she had received training in multiple forms of martial arts, self-defense, computer hacking, linguistics, and espionage, but every truly great agent in training knows that 'relationships and connections are a vulnerability and must only exist for the propagation and completion of a mission.' Their words, not hers.

In other words, she didn't get to have real friends, so why fake it right? 

Nowadays, Michelle could barely remember the time before her training had begun. She didn't used to be like this. In fact, the closed off, cynical, and calculating young woman who was staring her down in the mirror felt almost like a stranger. When Michelle was young, before she new what her parents did for a living and her training had begun, she had been open, free spirited, curious, and hospitable to all people. Little MJ was renowned for her Michael Jackson impressions, her quick wit, and her never failing optimism about the good in all people. She loved and was loved by everyone who came into her life. She never met a stranger and always left people with a smile on their face. 

But nine years of moving every few months, never seeing her parents, and being mentally, physically, and emotionally conditioned to be the perfect spy chipped away at bright little MJ. Throw in some good old fashioned betrayal and abandonment and all that was left behind was Agent 217. 

She wasn't officially active duty yet, although she had been brought in on multiple assignments with her parents and completed her final trials last month. Yes, she had been the youngest agent in history to beat the rigorous trials and yes, it was totally bad-ass. Still, they mostly used her in the 'little leagues' of espionage having her infiltrate powerful households through the guise of befriending their children. You'd be amazed at how much intel you could collect on foreign tech conglomerates and weapons deals during a pre-teen sleep over. She of course was completely qualified to join the big leagues of international espionage but someone had apparently decided that you had to be 18 before you could officially risk your life for your country. She hadn't liked that rule so she struck a deal with Nick Fury. He would give her missions on the down low if she promised not to get her fifteen year old self killed. So far, their agreement was going perfectly. She had two and a half more years till she turned 18 and gave up the last of her freedom to officially become a second generation operative for the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. 

Even thinking that name is a mouthful. 

Her current assignment was simply recon. Observe and report on Harry Osborn, the entitled prick son of one Norman Osborn. Her father was currently infiltrating Oscorp under the disguise of an upper level researcher. 

The briefing had revealed a surge in resources and fatalities in relation to a serum development group specializing in cross species genetics. The Jones' were to figure out how close they were to a successful trial, understand what Oscorp's intent was, and figure out a way to shut it down. 

Where was her mother? Well that was a long and painful story for another time.

Meanwhile, Michelle was just supposed to attend high school, which she had graduated last year (with honors), and watch some douche future frat boy while trying not to fall asleep in class. Observe and report. 

Lucky me.

With one last sigh, Michelle shoved a few books in her tattered book bag and headed to the subway. She had her earbuds in blasting the latest Kendrick Lamar album and she studiously ignored the commotion on the other end of the platform. She never engaged unless absolutely necessary. Apparently, some asshole was kicking around a homeless dude for no other reason than the man had asked for some spare change for a meal. 

Perfect, another selfish bully. Just what the world needs more of. 

Honestly, at this point she had lost all faith in humanity and Queens really wasn't making a great first impression either. 

Michelle knew the police would quickly intervene and continued facing forward waiting for her ride to arrive as everyone around her began huddling around the altercation, sniffing out something entertaining and pulling out their phones to record the spectacle. Geez, people these days suck. I guess it wouldn't hurt to teach this asshole a lesson before first period, she had a little time. 

Michelle was pushing her way through the growing crowd of spineless onlookers when she heard a voice call out above the noise. 

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size, ya know? Like a house or a small mountain!" 

Michelle stopped dead in her tracks. She got a weird since of deja vu as if she had been in this moment before. 

I know that voice....

She had pushed through the final layer of onlookers and was surprised to see nothing but a complete stranger. A skinny brunette kid with glasses had stepped between the irate man and his prey de jour and stood firmly, staring him down.

Was this kid serious? He's going to get his ass kicked by this ape of a man. 

The skinny kid squared his shoulders, gathered up all 5 feet 8 inches of his frame, and said loudly, "What too scared to be a bully when someones fighting back?" 

Oh, shit. 

Before she could even blink, the man's ears turned bright red and he punched the kid so hard and so fast that his head snapped back and made a sickening thud on the pavement. Skinny kid's glasses flew from his face and skidded across the pavement landing almost directly in front of Michelle. 

Michelle took one purposeful step toward the bristling bully ready to teach him a lesson when NYPD officers flooded the scene and detained him. She silently picked up the glasses and then walked them over toward the kid who was currently cradling his already swelling face. Not wanting to engage, she simply dropped the glasses in his lap and faded effortlessly into the scattering fray of commuters before he had even looked up. 

That kid is either certifiably crazy or the bravest idiot she'd ever seen. 

Michelle tried to keep moving forward and ignore the subway 'hero' but found herself inexplicable pulled toward him. A strange feeling for a girl who had spent the last three years completely detached from the world around her. At the last possible moment, she gave into the pull and glanced over her shoulder to make sure the kid was still breathing. She watched him stumble to his feet and check on the homeless man while placing his nerdy glasses across his undoubtably broken nose. 

She really had never seen the kid in her entire life. Strange that he would feel so familiar. 

The subway door closed, seemingly breaking the invisible tether between Michelle and this perfect stranger. She shook off the feeling and pulled out a book, prepared to ignore absolutely everyone for the rest of the day. But even as the train sped towards her destination, a small unbidden thought of the stranger drifted into her mind.

I guess not everyone in Queens is an asshole after all.


	2. Blink

"He looked at her  
the way she needed to be looked at  
like the whole world would crumble  
and he wouldn't blink"  
-Atticus

Midtown School of Science and Technology was a depressingly average school nestled into the heart of Queens, New York. It was pretty much a normal high school, just with a higher percentage of geeks who knew as much about advanced chemistry as they did obscure Star-wars references. Michelle trudged into her first class of the day, plopped into the back of the physics class room, and opened her book immediately. She conveniently had the exact schedule as one Harry Osborn. 

Ugh. 

She was so not looking forward to following this kid around all day every day for as long as this ruse lasted. She couldn't care less about this place, she had decided a while ago not to get attached to anything and to actively discourage anyone from getting attached to her. She might as well be invisible to these people for all she cared. 

Most people assumed Michelle was just a bitch who didn't care about the world around her as she sat quietly in corners reading books and sketching people in crisis. The reality couldn't be further from the truth. Michelle was a girl who cared too much about everything but had been betrayed so profoundly, that she would rather be numb than feel a fraction of that pain again. For the last, three years that defensive strategy had worked perfectly. Michelle's ambivalent facade, sarcastic barbs, and emotional walls worked so well that no one saw the hurting girl trapped inside her self imposed fortress. They just saw a self-sufficient loner who was too cool for school and that was fine by her. 

The only time she looked up before the bell rang was when Harry came sauntering into the classroom.

Michelle was surprised however, when he didn't immediately go to sit down with the preppy cheerleader girls giggling and flirting with him and instead sat next to a chubby and lovable Hawaiian kid who was conveniently sitting one seat in front of Michelle. 

"Hey Ned! How are you?" He said with a genuine smile and kind eyes. 

Ned launched into an animated anecdote about a Lego Millennium Falcon he had purchased over the weekend. Even though it was painfully evident Harry had never once played with or thought about a Lego in his entitled life, he actually listened attentively and engaged Ned with multiple questions. Michelle was surprised by her first impression of Harry. She had assumed he would be the popular rich kid with out time or concern for the people below him, but he actually appeared to be a decent human being. But she knew there was still plenty of time for him to disprove her preliminary observation, so she wouldn't hold her breath. Just as the afore mentioned rich kid turned with the intent to introduce himself the first period bell alarmed.

Saved by the bell.

The teacher jumped immediately into the lesson, which Michelle ignored. She had mastered these equations when she was ten and finished the worksheet in minutes. Michelle began her official assessment instead, typing away on her heavily encrypted cell phone as the rest of the class dug into the equations. 

SHIELD INTEL REPORT:

Day 1:  
Subject is a 16-year-old caucasian male.  
Six feet tall.  
Brown hair.  
Blue eyes.  
Friends with Ned Leads - Leads has no known connections to Oscorp or Hydra.  
Handsome in that douche "I know I'm hot" kinda way. (Not Michelle's type at all, not that Michelle had thought about or interacted with boys enough to actually have a type).

She'd delete that last part later. Or maybe not, maybe she would make these observations as boring and awkward as she could until they gave her another assignment. Michelle shook her head at herself, she typically took any assignment without complaint. She didn’t know why she was so off of her game and out of her element in this place. 

Dueling instincts inside of her made her feel torn. One side of her wanted to run as far away from this place and her father as possible. The other instinct insisted that this is exactly where she should be. Like this invisible tether had somehow pulled her all the way here and now she needed to stay and see why.

 

Michelle smirked to herself as she took out her sketchbook and began to sketch Harry in minute detail. 

At least the kid wasn’t bad to look at. 

Most agents took pictures of their subjects but Michelle found she learned a lot more about a subject by sketching them. She had to get intimately familiar with every laugh line, pimple, and freckle and it often times revealed insight otherwise missed by snapping surveillance pictures. For example, the slight furrowing of his brow and the nervous glances at Ned's worksheet revealed that Harry was struggling with this physics concept far more than he was willing to let on to his admiring fans. 

She was just about to finish her sketch and return to her book when, 

BANG!! 

"Unffffff!"

A loud collision caused the door of the classroom to shake, almost as if someone had run head first into it. The teacher, startled from her lesson, made her way over and opened the locked door quickly. To the teachers great surprise a skinny kid with a navy hoody pulled over his head and thick rimmed glasses tumbled into the classroom clumsily and clearly out of breath.

"Sorry, I... missed the bus and uhh ran into...uhh I mean...fell off my skateboard....missed the subway..."

Michelle internally cringed for the kid. He clearly hadn't thought through his excuse for being thirty minutes late to first period on the first day of sophomore year. With every word of his thinly formulated alibi, his voice pitched higher, faster, and guiltier. 

"It's ok, Parker, just take a seat and start in on the worksheet. Don't make this a habit. This is your one free tardee."

"Thanks, I won't. One time thing for sure."

Michelle had an eyebrow quirked and was frozen looking at the back of this ridiculously nerdy kid as he spoke with the teacher. He was spazzing out in front of the whole class and she almost felt sorry for him. Almost. 

But even so, she couldn't shake the feeling she had heard that voice before. 

Wait, what are the odds it’s the same kid from this morning?

Why do I care?

She quickly looked back to her sketch book when he turned around and started making his way to the empty seat that happened to be right beside Michelle's. She had planned on studiously ignoring the kid when she heard Ned whisper loudly, 

"Dude, what happened to your face?"

Michelle's latent curiosity overpowered her default setting of complete aloofness and she looked up. Right as two warm brown eyes noticed hers.

Time seemed to freeze for one suspended moment as skinny kid held Michelle's gaze. He looked at her dead in the eyes with a look that seemed too prolonged and intimate for a first glance. Michelle couldn't ever remember feeling this exposed to someone from just a look. He looked at her like he saw all of her past and her future too, like somehow he understood her where everyone else never could. He also looked at her like she was beautiful, an affirmation she hadn't known she needed until she had it. Michelle's cheeks started to get warm and she actually had a tingly feeling in her stomach. That's new. 

How do I know you?

Good lord woman get a hold of yourself. This isn't a romantic comedy. This is an assignment and this skinny nerd is not worth the energy.

Michelle, spurned by her own pessimistic thoughts, quickly looked back down to her sketchbook, but not before mentally documenting everything about the kids face. 

Including a fresh black eye. 

The kid plopped down into his seat and quickly completed the equations on the worksheet, maybe even faster than Michelle had. Impressive. Then he fidgeted the rest of the class incessantly tapping his foot or drumming his fingers. Most of the time the relentless fidgeting would have annoyed the crap out of Michelle, but for some unknown reason, the kids constant movements or maybe just his presence in general was calming to Michelle. It was like they were too sides to the same coin. Michelle was all controlled silence and contemplative thought while Peter was pure energy and kinetic magnetism. 

Just when Michelle thought she would escape this class without having to actually engage with anyone she felt a soft tap on her shoulder. 

Michelle looked up from behind her book to see skinny kid leaned slightly over toward her. 

"Hi, I'm Parker Peter. Uh, Peter Parker. Just Peter is fine." He shook his head at himself as if to clear his head and then extended his hand towards Michelle with an open smile. 

Michelle ignored his outstretched hand and instead nodded at him nonchalantly. The kids expression slowly became unsure, so Michelle took mercy on him and replied reluctantly.

"Michelle" 

His smile returned immediately. 

"Welcome to Midtown, Michelle."


	3. Sandwich

“She was beautifully  
Out of place  
Sometimes I believe  
She intended to be  
Like the moon during the day”  
-D.R.

Michelle could be seen on any given day trudging through the halls of Midtown high, reading in an abandoned classroom, ignoring her P.E. instructor, or amazing her decathlon team with her seemingly endless knowledge about history and politics. For Michelle, most days were just composed of barely tolerating people while trying not to care too much. Especially about a certain skinny nerd who was somehow always crossing her path. 

Yes, she was still sending reports on the young Mr. Osborn even if they were minimally informative. If Harry knew anything about his father's business and research dealings, he was certainly excellent at hiding it behind a perfectly curated disguise of an oblivious preoccupied teenager. Michelle knew her supervisor would get frustrated with her less than professional observations, but she was pissed that her father had side lined her with a single text while not even bothering to come see her. He knew she could have easily taken point on this mission and infiltrated Oscorp directly herself. 

She had completed the rigorous training like everyone else. Why were they punishing her for doing it faster than any other agent? 

What's a teenage girl got to do to get a life threatening, high stakes assignment these days? 

One afternoon shortly after arriving at Midtown, Michelle was sitting at the end of a long table in the cafeteria when she overheard a conversation from down the row. To be clear, by 'overheard' she of course meant she was intentionally eavesdropping on Harry while pretending to read her calculus textbook. 

"No way!" Harry exclaimed. "There is no way that Dare Devil is blind."

"I have it on good authority that he is." Ned defended.

"What authority? Some random dude in a chat room on the imaginary dark side of the internet." Harry teased incredulously. 

"Harry, how many times do I have to tell you it's called the Dark Web and it's real." Harry rolled his eyes as if this was an argument the two of them had had on many occasions. "Tell him Peter!" 

"Blind or not blind. The guy is a maniac. Have you seen the footage of him fighting?" Peter injected excitedly leaning over to show them a youTube video. 

Michelle quickly realized she wouldn't be gaining any new intel from the conversation other than what unbearably nerdy teenage boys apparently talked about at lunch and reached for her cell phone. 

SHIELD INTEL REPORT:

Day 15: 

Prince Harry, Skinny Kid, and Lego Man are once again being huge nerds in the middle of the cafeteria. Should I alert the authorities and detain them for boring me to tears? 

Michelle sent the sarcasm saturated update to her supervisor and sighed because this would be her life for the foreseeable future. 

Last month she had legitimately tracked down a rouge arms dealer and disarmed two nuclear war heads in Russia and this month she was on babysitting duty? She seriously needed to call Fury and ask if there was anything else she could be doing. 

At least she was making a lot of progress with her online political science degree from Howard and a big dent in her reading list.

Michelle stood from her place and made her way to the lunch line. As always, her first priority at any school she infiltrated was befriending the lunch ladies. Food was her first and only true love and she would need a contact in the kitchens if she was going to survive this assignment. 

An older woman with dark wrinkled skin and a leathery voice stood behind the glass making sandwiches. She was working away and being for the most part entirely ignored by the hungry teens in lines, when she looked up at Michelle. Her eyes were a bright blue that was striking against her dark complexion, but what won Michelle over was the glint of mischief shining through. 

“Didn’t I already make you a sandwich today?” Her gravelly voice questioned grumpily. Michelle loved her immediately. 

“If I say no, do I get another?”

The woman laughed dryly and shook her head. 

“What will it be then, sugar?” 

Michelle discovered that the woman’s name was Deborah and she had been making sandwiches in school cafeterias around town for fifty years. Michelle complimented her sandwich making and Deborah called her an insufferable suck up, but that didn’t stop her from piling on extra toppings and toasting the sandwich perfectly. They were interrupted from their casual conversation by a loud commotion from the other side of the cafeteria. Michelle turned to investigate and saw a growing group of kids circling around a table. 

The resident school bully, Kenny “Kong” McFarlane, was teasing and tormenting a freshman who had made the mistake of leaving the bathroom with some toilet paper still stuck to his shoe. Honestly, kids could be so cruel. Michelle had only taken one purposeful step forward when she stopped herself. 

Do not engage, it’s not why you’re here. The kid will be fine.

The best spies were anonymous. She couldn’t get involved if she wanted to continue being invisible. As she turned back to Deborah, something caught her eye. Peter Parker had stood up on his seat, downed the last of his soda, and crumpled the can.

He wouldn’t. 

Before she could even blink, Peter tossed the can and hit Kong directly on the head. 

Apparently, he would. 

Everyone in the gathering peanut gallery fell silent. The giant kid turned around slowly and looked at Parker like he was going to snap him in half. Michelle was willing to bet he could do it to.

Oh, shit. 

“Yo, Kong, why don’t you leave the nice kid alone or should I tell everyone here about your third-grade bathroom incident?” 

Honestly, did Skinny Kid have a death wish. Don't poke the bear, dude.

Kenny turned bright red and charged Parker. He basically preformed a football tackle, but Parker was so light he was knocked back sliding across the lunch trays, tumbling off the opposite edge of the table, and hitting his head on the way down. Amazingly, the slightly off-balance Parker clambered to his feet and squared his shoulders as Kong rounded the table urged on by the cheering and yelling students surrounding the spectacle. 

Just as Kong grabbed the front of Peter’s shirt with both hands the bell rung out. Kong released Peter with a shove and retreated into the scattering crowd. Peter visibly relaxed having been spared from Kong's anger and went to check on the traumatized freshman kid sending him off with a fist bump. 

“That kid just doesn’t know when to quit.” Deborah said in her scratchy voice and a fond smile. “His uncle was the same way back in the day.” 

“This happens a lot?” Michelle said in mild shock wondering how the kid had survived this long. 

Deborah just laughed in a worn hearty way. “Stick around a while, Michelle. You’ll see.”

Michelle smiled kindly as the elderly women handed over her extra peanut butter and honey sandwich with a wink and went back into the kitchens without another word.

Operation Befriend Lunch Lady: Complete. 

Across the cafeteria, Ned and Harry where helping clean Peter up as best they could. Although he seemed to have escaped relatively unscathed other than a bump on the head, his clothes looked like they had gone nine rounds in a food fight. 

Michelle walked past them to retrieve her calculus book and overheard Ned lecturing Peter. 

“All I’m saying is you didn’t have to get involved.” 

“Give it up Ned, we both know Peter will never give up his heroic ways. I mean who needs the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen when you have the Defender of Midtown Cafeteria.” Harry jested.

“Ha. Ha.” Peter’s voice dripped with sarcasm, as he began picking up the scattered food and trays and stacking them on the table. Harry and Ned began walking toward the exit, but Peter stopped to scribble on a napkin. 

“Let’s go, Parker, you and I can’t get any more tardies this week.” Harry called over his shoulder. Peter jogged to keep up with his friends as Michelle just watched unnoticed from the end of the cafeteria. She grabbed her textbook and then walked past the neatly stacked trays unable to quench her curiosity about the note. 

‘Sorry for the mess, Earl  
-Peter’

Michelle laughed to herself as she headed toward the gym, shaking her head in disbelief. Skinny Kid had really just stood up to a bully, got flipped over a table, and then left an apology note for the janitor for the mess he made. 

Who said chivalry was dead?

Michelle trudged unhurriedly to P.E. and changed into her school provided shirts and shorts. She grabbed her newest book and her sandwich and then headed into the gym. It was dodgeball day. 

Ugh.

Liz and Flash were made captains and the class was quickly divided into two teams. 

In the excitement of the chaotic game, no-one noticed Michelle slipping off into the men’s locker room. She quickly found Harry’s locker, hacked into his phone, and downloaded a cloning program that would allow her to keep track of Harry through his digital footprint. Michelle would see every text, picture, comment, google search, and Instagram like Harry made from his phone.

Honestly, spying just was too easy these days. 

Michelle walked directly out of the locker room and under the bleachers completely unseen by her battling peers. She sat down with her back leaned against the wall, pulled her sandwich out of her pocket and began to read. She’d go through all the data on Harry’s phone later. 

She had just gotten to a particularly interesting passage of her book when a red ball bounced off a wall and rolled under the bleachers stopping directly in front of Michelle. From the court she heard a voice call out, 

“I got it.”

Michelle had just shoved the last large bite of her sandwich into her mouth when Peter rounded to the corner in pursuit of the ball. For some inexplicable reason, she felt her heart speed up and her face flush. Why did this kid always get a reaction from her?

Peter stopped short when he noticed Michelle sitting alone reading with a mouth full of food.

Busted. 

They both just looked at each other for a moment caught is that same strange tension that had connected them the first time their eyes met. Peter smiled in that easy way of his and broke the silence first.

“Uh, um. Hi, Michelle.” Her mouth was still completely full so she just vaguely nodded in his direction while looking back down at her book and hoping he would leave her alone.

“Not a big fan of dodgeball?” Peter asked while nervously scratching the back of his neck. Michelle peeked back over her book and finally mercifully was able to swallow the glob of peanut butter and bread in her mouth. 

“No, I just didn’t want to embarrass all of you with my skills.” Michelle said sarcastically as she threw the escaped ball at Peter, hitting him hard in the abdomen before he could catch it fully. 

“Very considerate of you.” Peter wheezed back at Michelle.

“Peter, where the heck are you? We’re getting killed out here.” Harry called from the court desperately. 

“Your boyfriends calling.” Michelle said dryly already reading again forcing herself not to look at the loser. Peter laughed good naturedly and turned to leave. Calling over his shoulder.

“See you later, Michelle.” 

For the life of her, Michelle couldn’t figure out why even after he left, her lips were tugged up in a small smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next few chapters we will cover a lot of time by skimming through Michelle's reports with brief stops along the way for important moments.
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


	4. Hug

“You didn’t see it did you?  
The way he looked at you, it was different from how he looked at other girls.  
He looked at you like the moon and the stars shone out of your eyes.”  
-Unknown

SHIELD INTEL REPORT

Day 25: The entire sophomore class went on a field-trip to Oscorp Laboratories today. Prince Harry looked incredibly uncomfortable the entire trip. Prince Harry convinced Skinny Kid to ditch the group and explore to avoid seeing his father. Prince Harry rejoined the group an hour later and immediately began flirting with girls. Skinny Kid never made it back. Apparently, he was picked up by an aunt because he got sick. 

Day 42: Prince Harry is failing calculus. He never turns in any homework. Skinny Kid continues to show up to school with an alarming number of bruises citing clumsiness whenever asked. Ironically no-one questions it. The kid is a walking accident. He also must have gotten contacts.

Day 45: Prince Harry skipped school with Lego Man to comfort Skinny Kid. 

Michelle, had shown up to first period and immediately missed the presence of the three nerds who typically sat around her. She had known they wouldn’t be there from Harry’s texts that had forwarded to her phone last night. Ned had texted him at three in the morning saying that Peter needed them. Peter’s uncle, Ben, had been shot last night while trying to stop a man on the run. 

She stayed up all night reading the news posts and watching as social media exploded with the story. The entire community was in shock at the sudden death of Benjamin Parker. 

Heartbroken, Michelle leaned her head back against her headboard and silently prayed for Peter. She knew his pain. She knew she couldn’t do anything to ease his pain, but still she felt this soul deep pull to comfort him. A strange inclination considering they were virtual strangers to one another. 

Michelle went to the funeral that weekend and watched from the shadows as tears streamed silently down Peter’s face. Michelle hadn’t ever met Ben, but she knew from the sheer amount of people who had shown up to the rainy funeral that he was a man that had been profoundly loved. Peter held his Aunt up as she fell apart and Michelle couldn’t help but wonder who would hold him up when he eventually did too. 

Two weeks later, Michelle was skipping class and hiding out in an abandoned band class room reading when the door burst open. Peter turned and closed the door leaning his forehead against it and breathing deeply clearly trying to pull himself together. The pain he was feeling was palpable to Michelle. She suddenly felt like an unwanted voyeur and stood silently to escape out the back door. Peter sensed her presence and turned quickly trapping her retreating form with his haunted gaze. His eyes were visibly blood shot, filled with barely restrained tears, and framed with dark circles that robbed him of his typically effortless charm. To Michelle his eyes and expression primarily looked familiar. She had been staring at that same tragic look in the mirror every day for years. 

Michelle knew she shouldn’t get involved. She knew that this was not her place. She had made up her mind to stay as far removed from Peter Parker as humanly possible. She was here for an assignment it wasn’t fair to anyone if she got attached, she would disappear, and she couldn’t take any hearts with her.

Unfortunately, her heart didn't share the same convictions as her head. Before, she knew what she was doing she had crossed the room and wrapped her arms tightly around him. After a moment, he returned the embrace crushing Michelle against himself. She could feel his heart beat against her chest as they soaked in each other’s warmth. When her initial nerves cleared, she was hit with an overwhelming sensation of belonging, like she had just arrived home after a long journey. Odd. 

Neither one of them said anything, Michelle knew there were no words for situations like this.  
Grief couldn’t be healed with words. There was no ‘right’ thing to say. Greif demanded to be felt, it couldn’t be sped up, couldn’t be reasoned away, it simply was.

So, she just held his surprisingly muscular form and he held her back until his breathing had calmed and his tears had dried. When they finally pulled apart, a slight awkwardness fell over them as they suddenly realized their tight proximity to one another. Michelle knew she had to get away from him quickly before she did something insane like hug him….again. 

Fortunately, at that exact moment the third period bell rang out.

Michelle grabbed her backpack and book and rushed toward the door hoping to escape before she had to acknowledge what had just happened. 

“Michelle.” She froze with her hand on the door handle. At the complaint of her better judgement, she looked back over her shoulder at Peter. That same tension that felt oddly like a rope tethering them together returned as soon as she looked into his eyes.

“Thank you.” Michelle was momentarily captured by the sincerity and openness in Peter’s expression. She felt the exact second that her long frozen heart cracked and fluttered to life. 

No. No. No.

Terrified by these knew feelings flooding her system and determined to shut it down, Michelle quickly fled the room tossing a barb over her shoulder as she went. 

“See you at decathlon practice, loser.”

 

Day 65: Prince Harry skipped school today to steal one of his father’s many sports cars and go racing. That’s his third absence in two weeks, he seems increasingly unconcerned with his academic future. Skinny Kid is not as skinny anymore and is constantly rushing out of school and sometimes limps weirdly. A new vigilante has popped up in Queens and is trending on YouTube. Lego Man is obsessed and insists to Prince Harry and Skinny Kid that the new guy is part spider. 

Day 85:  
The Holy Trinity of nerds is sitting together at lunch today. Prince Harry seems lost in his own world and looks vaguely hung over. His school attendance is abysmal and he is constantly out of the house, only going home to sleep and then quickly escape again. Currently gathering further intel on Prince Harry’s home life and his mom who is rumored to be leaving Daddy Osborn. Can't blame her. The guy seems like a douche. Spider-Man is gaining notoriety, and seems to be the only thing Prince Harry, Skinny Kid, and Lego Man ever get genuinely excited about. Nerds. 

 

Day 100:  
Prince Harry is visibly stressed, has dark circles under his eyes, is hanging out with different kids, and blowing off Lego Man. All three nerds still show up at and feign interest in decathlon. Prince Harry has shown absolutely zero interest in his father’s research and has actually applied for a summer internship at a competitive company. 

 

Day 110:  
Prince Harry is failing two classes. He spent his entire morning sleeping in class with his sunglasses on. The news that his mother left his father was splashed all over social media this morning. He smells like beer. Daddy Osborn is teasing big breakthroughs in his cross-species genetics at Oscorp to distract from the media blitz, but Spy Dad reports while they have made a lot of progress, Dr. Connors and the genetics team are still a ways away from human trials. 

Christmas Break:  
Prince Harry in Switzerland “visiting his mom” but ends up getting super drunk with super models in a jacuzzi and getting his face in all the tabloids. No one is surprised. Spider-Man is increasing in fame and making some incredible saves. Prince Harry hasn’t talked to Skinny Kid or Lego Man the entire break.

Day 145:  
Prince Harry seems to be testing the limits for the most absences possible without actually failing sophomore year. Skinny Kid seems too preoccupied to notice, is sleeping in class, and has quit marching band and robotics lab.

Day 175:  
Spring semester is well under way. Prince Harry is seemingly more interested in passing classes now that they have threatened to hold him back. I was nominated to tutor him by my calculus teacher. Lucky me. Prince Harry and Lego man are sending each other videos of the Avenger’s airport fight in Germany that have surfaced all over the internet over the weekend. Apparently, Spider-Man got a suit upgrade and Lego Man thinks Stark probably designed it. Skinny Kid is out of town. He texted Harry that he got an internship at Stark Industries and that he would be back Monday. 

Day 200:  
Prince Harry actually got an A on a calculus test, I must be a magician. I have now been watching his highness for 200 days and haven’t discovered anything remotely worth-while. Can I have a new assignment now? I’m calling Fury. 

Day 225:  
Prince Harry still hasn’t shown any symptoms of being a sociopath or mastermind. He’s just a kid with a crappy father figure whose acting out because his mom moved halfway across the globe. Can I get a new assignment, or nah? 

Michelle rolled her eyes as she submitted that last entry. She had actually gotten really comfortable in this assignment and was beginning to enjoy it but she would lose all her street cred at the agency if they knew that she was starting to like playing house in Queens. To be fair, she was doing more than just watching the kid. She dug through reports each night trying to decipher any intel at all on Osborn's motivation and goals for the serum development, but continued to come up empty. Additionally, she would pour over the research Spy Dad had managed to leak and try to decipher the endless trials, algorithms, and gene splices. They were basically taking desirable traits out of animals and reptiles, isolating the genes and attempting to synthesize it into serums for various pharmaceutical and recreational uses. But don't ask her any questions beyond that. 

Michelle’s whole life had been so focused around her training and the agency that she hadn’t realized what she had been missing out on. She was beginning to enjoy life on the outside of the agency in her cute little studio apartment. She was making great grades in her online poly-sci degree, she had made a huge dent in her one-thousand-book reading list, and she had started volunteering at a battered women’s shelter after school. Also, she had barely acknowledged the stupidly attractive, not so skinny, sweater wearing nerd, Peter Parker, since that day in the band room. So that was a victory. 

Sure, she had an entire book of sketches of his annoyingly good-looking face and she thought about him way more than she would ever admit. But that was no one’s business but her own. What was it about this kid? 

She was absolutely determined not to care about the loser. She had convinced herself that she didn’t really have feelings for the dumb dork. It was probably just a result of this having been the longest time she had ever stayed in one spot. They were proximity emotions. That’s a thing right? Michelle was sure that as soon as she stopped seeing him and listening to him every day she would forget about him immediately. Hopefully. 

Ugh, get a hold of yourself, Michelle. You sound like an angsty Taylor Swift song. 

In the meantime, she did everything in her power to make herself unlikeable to the kid. She regularly flipped him the bird and would take any and every opportunity to call him a loser. The only time they actually talked was at decathlon practice when Michelle was kicking his butt in the rapid-fire rounds. Ok, to be fair they were fifty-fifty right now, but Michelle was going to take the winning record by the end of the year. Just you watch. 

Yep, she had this totally under control.

Michelle Jones didn't have feelings for Peter Parker. 

*****

Peter Parker stared at her too. Sometimes, he felt like he literally couldn't look away from the beautiful curly haired girl who chewed on her lip as she buried her nose in her endless supply of books. There was something so quietly magnetic about her that constantly pulled Peter in.

He thought about her all the time. The questions were endless.

Who was this beautiful new girl?  
What happened to her smile?  
Where did she come from?  
Why does she feel so familiar?  
When will she let down those impenetrable walls?

Sure, everyone knew Peter had a crush on Liz Allen, but at this point who didn’t? He was pretty sure every guy in his grade was crushing on Liz, the perfectly unattainable senior girl. It was a high school right of passage. He mainly just liked how pretty and smart she was and how his friends all teased each other about who would get to take her to homecoming. 

It was different with the enigmatic Michelle, she felt almost....inevitable. Like, no matter what happened she would somehow be the result. Therefore, in the quiet moments when Peter was lying in his bed after a long day of web slinging, it wasn’t Liz who occupied his thoughts. 

It was Michelle.


	5. Mask

“Her heart sank into her shoes as she realized at last how much she wanted him…  
Which was not to say that she would ever let him know, but only that he moved her chemically more than anyone she had ever met, that all other men seemed pale beside him.”  
-F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

On day two-hundred and thirty-five, Michelle’s official mission came to an end. Norman Osborn had apparently reached his limit for tolerating Harry’s rebellious escapades. So, Daddy Osborn registered Harry for an all-boys boarding school in London and put him on a plane within the day. Michelle called her supervisor to check-in only to discover he that had been pulled to a different assignment at the urgent request of Nick Fury`-something about a looming extraterrestrial threat. Her only instructions were to finish out the school year as to not jeopardize her father’s cover. Which was laughable considering these people knew absolutely nothing about Michelle or her father. But she didn’t talk to him and no one really cared about her so why would they know?

Michelle was officially benched from the case and she couldn’t have been more pleased. She knew Spy Dad would inform her if she needed to sub in and take over. This case seemed to be dragging on forever. But Fury insisted that SHIELD had to be informed of every step of the super serum development and he typically had good instincts about these types of things. Especially if you considered that the last time someone had tried to re-create Cap’s serum, he had turned himself into a giant green rage monster. Where was Banner anyway? Michelle hadn’t heard a peep about him since the Ultron Incident. 

Michelle was sitting in the cafeteria thinking about the people she had gotten to meet this year. 

Liz Allen was busy accepting college applications and organizing the Homecoming dance. Michelle actually really liked her and imagined that in another life the two of them would have been best friends. You know, a life where Michele wasn’t analyzing everyone around her with a microscope and avoiding a full spectrum of human emotions. 

Ned was as innocently optimistic about life as ever, although there did seem to be a new weight on his shoulders recently. I wonder what he’s hiding? Michelle had recently discovered he was quite a talented hacker when she chased him through some pretty impressive firewalls after he sent Harry an encrypted link one night that had peaked her interest. She would add him to SHIELD’s “ones to watch” list when she got back to the compound. They could always use more hackers.

Flash Thomson was an absolutely insufferable idiot. That’s all. Two-hundred plus days and that was honestly all she could say about the kid. 

Betty Brant was single-minded in her pursuit of becoming the youngest female broadcaster for CNN in history. If the daily news updates at school were anything to go by, she might want to reconsider that career path. 

Abraham was pretty cool, but if he didn’t stop using the bell after every sentence at decathlon practice, Michelle was going to have to hurt him. 

Peter Parker, well Peter had actually changed a lot during this school year. When she thought back to the skinny kid with glasses she had seen in the subway, the comparison was striking. He was physically more impressive yes, but there was something deeper there too. He still seemed to be that nerdy hero-obsessed kid from before, but his life had been profoundly altered by his uncle’s death. He had also gotten an internship with Tony Stark. But Michelle, didn't care so why was she thinking about that stupid dork, again. 

In unrelated news, Spider-man was now a fully accepted part of Queens and could be seen swinging cats to safety on any given afternoon. Michelle really liked Spider-man's style although she would probably never admit it. There was something so endearing about this super hero who had amazing powers but opted to protect the friendly neighborhood’s around Queens. He did venture into New York City occasionally, but he could always be seen riding the top of the subway headed back towards Queens before the night was over. As far as she knew, SHIELD didn’t know his identity, but Fury was so good at compartmentalizing that she could easily just not have been told. She would have to ask Natasha, if she was ever allowed to come out of hiding.

At the sound of the bell, she headed to the decathlon practice she had seriously considered skipping. She wanted to go the shelter early to help cook dinner for the new girls, but Liz had insisted everyone be there. Liz had been getting increasingly intense the closer Nationals got. She had sent the team three Ted Talks on peak performance just this week.

Michelle was reading a particularly interesting passage of her book when she heard everyone getting riled up about Peter bailing on Nationals. She had seen this coming from a mile away. Ever since he started that "internship" at Stark Industries, the kid had been flakier than a croissant. 

She casually interjected, "He's already quit marching band and robotics lab."

Holy shit did I just say that out loud?! You don't care remember! Damage control. Now. 

"I'm not obsessed with him, I'm just very observant." She said while schooling her expression with what she hoped was the upmost boredom and returned her gaze to her book. She peaked over the edge of her book to find Parker looking at her with a confused smirk on his face. She looked away immediately and forced herself not to blush. 

Geez, it like he gets hotter by the day. 

Get a hold of yourself, Michelle. 

Michelle distracted herself by pulling out her phone to search for protest’s happening in Washington, D.C. next weekend. It had been a minute since she’d gotten to do some light protesting and she was definitely going on the trip if Peter wasn’t. The more distance between them the better. 

Michelle’s plan would have worked perfectly too if the loser hadn’t shown up at the last minute and hopped on the bus. Oh well, she had a lot of practice pretending he didn’t exist, so this shouldn’t be that difficult. She caught up on some research she had found that Dr. Conners’ had published for Empire State University on the regenerative properties of lizards. Dr. Curt Conners only had one arm, so she objectively understood the appeal but still found the idea of injecting someone with lizard goo a little gross. The concept was actually brilliant, in all the historical files she had read about the various super-serum trials since the 1940s, no-one had taken the gene-splicing approach. It was just crazy enough that it might actually work, hence why Fury had dispatched them to keep a very close eye on the mad scientist and his very generous benefactor.

She did actually escape the hotel and do some peaceful protesting, which had been incredible.  
Later that afternoon she crushed the decathlon competition, if she did say so herself. Overall, the trip was shaping up to be a great success but mainly because Parker had been M.I.A.

Where did he go? What did he do? 

Nope, do not investigate. 

You don’t care, remember? 

She was currently sitting at the bottom of the Washington monument reading ‘Fahrenheit 51’ for the 4th time. It was one of her favorites. She was waiting at the bottom in solidarity to the people who had been forced to build the monument, while her classmates took a full tour. She sighed as she soaked in the sun and reread one of her favorite passages.

Clarisse’s monologue was cut short by a massive explosion above Michelle’s head. Her mind immediately began analyzing the threat.

What happened? Terrorists? Protestors? Structural failure?

How many people are inside? 

How do we get them out?

She went into full agent mode and paged emergency services to her location. She had taken one step towards the building when Spider-man himself ran up beside her. 

What the hell is he doing here? 

Might as well use what you got.

"My friends are up there." Michelle pointed. 

"What?!?" A sightly high pitched, yet oddly familiar voice sounded from behind the mask. "Uh don't worry ma'am, everything's gonna be ok." Then he bolted off and leaped up the monument. 

Michelle was stunned. Not because her classmates had just been in an explosion or because D.C. Police were swarming the area. But because she would have known that voice anywhere. She'd been trying to get it out of her head all day.

Peter Parker is Spider-Man. 

Michelle sat in the back of the bus glaring at Peter’s contemplative face the entire ride home. Obviously, she was happy that he had been there and that everyone was safe, but she was also annoyed that it took her this long to put it together. While the entire bus was buzzing with the excitement of being saved by Spider-man, she grumpily chastised herself for being so oblivious. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it. In hindsight, there had been so many signs. 

The bruises. The absences. The contacts. The muscles. The overdeveloped hero-complex. The "Stark" internship. 

She couldn't believe she'd spent the better part of a year reluctantly pining over the dweeb and she hadn't ever connected the dots. At any point, she could have effortlessly bugged his phone or followed him as he rushed out of class but she had been so concerned with pushing him away that she had missed what was right in front of her. She was a freaking agent it was literally her job to observe her surroundings and report back to SHIELD, how had she missed it? 

She watched as Peter climbed off the bus and was immediately wrapped in May's arms. Michelle crossed her arms and stood at the front of the bus waiting to be dismissed and silently listening into their private reunion.

"Are you ok? I was so worried."

"Yeah May, I'm fine. Honestly, I wasn't even there when it happened."

"Oh believe me, I heard all about your absentee weekend in the big city. We'll talk about that later." 

May squeezed Peter in her arms tightly for a few more seconds before she ruffled Peter's hair and pushed him towards the car.

“Don’t disappear. I’ll be right back.”

May went over to talk to the chaperone and the principal about what she assumed was probably Peter's punishment. Michelle felt a momentary pang in her heart as she realized that no one would be here to check on her, drive her home, or even yell at here for skipping out on a mandated school activity. 

She had to hand it to Peter though. He could have easily gotten out of the ridiculously large amount of detention he would undoubtedly be receiving if he just told them who he was. In fact, everyone was so obsessed with Spider-Man the principal would probably throw him a parade or give him the keys to the school. But he didn't say anything, he just watched as his principal explained his punishment to May from the car, resigned to his fate. 

Michelle wondered what it would be like to be that powerful but have to hide it to protect the people he loved.

She knew all about secret identities. Maybe that’s why under her simmering aggravation, she felt more connected to Peter than ever. They were both just kids wearing masks trying to make the world a better place.

Peter caught her eye from his seated position in the car. The same annoyingly persistent tension immediately pulled Michelle in. Frustrated with her stubborn heart, Michelle walked past his rolled down window and grunted out a barely audible. 

"See you in detention, loser."

Michelle began walking home towards her apartment, she felt too restless to sit on the subway and she definitely hadn't brought her tactical motorcycle to school. That would have raised a few more questions than she was willing to answer. 

Without the subway, it was about a thirty-minute walk from Midtown to her apartment and Michelle spent every single one of those moments thinking about Peter. She had been half obsessed with him even when she thought he had just been a flaky teen who was preoccupied and falling off his skateboard all the time.

This was so much worse. All those times he had ran out of class or showed up with a limp had been because he had been out there saving people. Instead of using his powers to make himself popular or kick ass on the basketball team, he risked his life to save strangers while receiving only ridicule from the Daily Bugle and press. 

Michelle, had to admit that she was in trouble. 

She could finally admit that she had feelings for Peter Parker. He was the only guy she had ever actually liked enough to consider opening her heart for. Although Michelle had seen a few attempts, agents didn’t really get to have personal relationships. Not successful or long-lasting ones at least. The clandestine nature of the agency demanded so many lies that the relationships were doomed from the start. 

But Peter had secrets too. Maybe he would understand. 

Why are am I thinking about this? 

Peter Parker probably thinks I hate him anyway, I’ve made sure of that.

She would never tell him how he had captured her heart and stolen her thoughts. It was just too risky. She had barely just scraped together the fractured pieces of her heart. 

No reason to risk it. 

For all she knew she could be on a mission in Tokyo tomorrow.

Would Peter remember her if she disappeared? 

She would remember him.


	6. Tie

“I confess,  
I loved you more than I let on  
but you weren’t ready for it  
and I wasn’t going to pour myself into hands that couldn’t  
hold me”

-of yesteryear

The final weeks of sophomore year were bizarre for Michelle. She had gotten so bored she actually began to sit with the decathlon nerds at lunch, you know, without her nose buried in a book. 

Even more shocking, she kind of liked them. 

Especially Ned. 

Michelle had quickly deduced that Ned knew Peter's secret. The fact that the two of them had actually managed not to spill the beans to the entire school was miraculous. They were about as subtle as the Hulk in Harlem. But even though they would make terrible spies, she was glad they had each other. Peter looked like he needed a friend. Spider-boy had been increasingly tense and distracted lately. 

But she didn’t waste time thinking about Peter, so back to Ned. 

Ned was so warm and naturally gregarious that he frequently had the entire table erupting in laughter. He even managed to get a smile out of Michelle. A virtual miracle. Her only complaint with him so far was that he was forcing her to come to homecoming with the decathlon team. 

Michelle couldn't imagine anything more terrible than standing around awkwardly drinking punch while watching Peter stare adoringly at Liz. 

Spider-Man had had a rough week. He bailed from detention early only to show up on the news hours later. The Staten Island Ferry had nearly been split in two by some illegal weapons and Iron Man had had to save the day. She had hacked the FBI's website to read up on the guys Spider-Man had apparently been chasing down the entire time she had been preoccupied with Oscorp. The illegal weapons market formed from the aftermath of the many global disasters and was becoming increasingly prevalent throughout the world. 

Michelle had busted a similar ring outside of Sokovia last year as part of her training, but SHEILD mostly left this type of thing to the government. She existed to operate in the grey area where government agencies couldn't or sometimes wouldn't go. So, she would leave this one up to the feds and her friendly neighborhood Spider-man. Not hers. The. The friendly neighborhood Spider-man.

Michelle found herself in an eclectic thrift shop down the street from her apartment, late the evening before the dance. She had this dueling voice inside her that was torn between blowing the whole thing off or keeping her promise to Ned. Of course, Ned or no Ned, she couldn’t go without a dress and this place didn’t have anything good. 

Good? Why should I suddenly care if I look good? 

She had just been about to give up on the whole thing when she heard a kind voice from behind her. 

"If you’re looking for dresses, Lu keeps the good stuff stashed away in the back."

"Excuse me?" Michele turned to see none other than Peter's aunt standing one row over searching through a rack of old suit ties. Of course, she would randomly end up in a thrift shop alone with Peter’s aunt. She had left her apartment to try and escape that strange tether that seemed to always be pulling her towards Peter. The universe had a very strange sense of humor.

"I saw you by the bus the other night. I'm Peter's aunt. Call me, May." Even though she desperately wanted to escape this situation, Michelle liked May immediately. She was beautiful in that effortless way that shone from within when someone knew exactly who they were. Her long chestnut hair fell in a smooth sheet over her shoulders and somehow, she was making the biggest pair of glasses Michelle had ever seen seem perfectly chic. 

"I'm Michelle. It's nice to meet you." Michelle looked back down at the rack of sad dresses in front of her content to leave the interaction where it had finished. 

"Are you looking for a homecoming dress?" Michelle looked up surprised that May had still been interested in talking to her. Most people ignored this version of Michelle, as she had intended, but it was nice to be noticed every once and a while. She knew the smart thing to do would be to leave immediately, before she said too much, but there was something in May’s eyes that inexplicably made Michelle want to stay.

"What gave me away?"

"The mild look of irritation and displeasure." May smirked at Michelle and she immediately recognized the expression from when she had seen it on Peter’s face all those times. 

"Damn, and here I was thinking I was hiding it so well." Michelle said sarcastically.

May laughed and then signaled for Michelle to follow her through a beaded curtain behind the register as if they had been friends for years and not met just seconds ago. 

“Follow me.”

Michelle stared after May confused for a moment. But then her curiosity won out and she trudged after the enigmatic woman. 

Stepping through the curtain was like stepping into another world. The eclectic storeroom was covered in boxes, purses, clothes, shoes, and jewelry in a mismatched rainbow of hues and textures. Michelle didn’t know who Lu was, but he certainly had a flare for fashion.

"Lu! I'm raiding your dress stash. It's an emergency." May called out casually while searching through the racks.

"How did you know this was back here?"

"Oh, I've been shopping here since I was thirteen. Lu and I go way back. This is actually where I got my homecoming dress." The air was momentarily sucked out of the room when May got a faraway look in her eye. Michelle was certain she had been remembering Ben. Their eyes met in silent communication, both of them knowing there were no words adequate for this moment.

Shaking her head to clear the memories, May pulled Michelle over to a rack of dresses in a beautiful amalgamation of colors and styles and immediately picked up a short dress with long bell sleeves that was silver and reflected the light in a thousand miniature prisms. 

"This is the one." May said confidently holding it up to Michelle’s body.

"There’s no way I’m showing up to school in that.” Michelle shook her head and continued perusing the stash. 

"Oh, come on this would be gorgeous on you. Try it on at least." If it had been anyone else, Michelle would have rolled her eyes and ignored the compliment. But May just had this quality about her that made Michelle feel comfortable almost like they were a totally average pair of friend’s out looking for dresses the night before the big dance. 

"Ok, but you have to keep looking while I do.”

“Of course.” May said holding up her hands as a symbol of innocence. When Michelle closed the velvet curtain to the small dressing room a small genuine smile pulled up the corners of her mouth. She imagined this was what it would be like if she still had a mom. This is what moms and daughters did, right? She guessed she’d never really know.

“So, what are we looking for?” May called from the storage room pulling Michelle back from her quickly darkening thoughts. 

“Let’s start with something that is a little less seventies disco queen and a little bit more nerdy mathlete.” 

“I don’t see why we couldn’t do both.” May teased back. 

Michelle slipped into the dress and pulled the short skirt down as low as she could. There wasn’t a mirror, but she could tell this thing was ridiculously short. 

"Well let’s see it, shall we." May called from the other side of the curtain.

"There is no way I'm coming out in this."

"Oh, come on, don’t spoil the fun."

Michelle smoothed the dress over her bottom making sure it did indeed cover all the appropriate bits and then she took a deep breath gathering her courage. She stepped out into the softly lit room letting her bare toes sink into the shag carpet. 

May looked up from the rack she had been raiding and smiled widely.

"You look absolutely stunning."

Michelle rolled her eyes and then turned around to face the mirror that was leaned up against a stack of overflowing boxes. Ok, so even she could admit that she looked pretty good. 

"That dress was made for those legs." A slightly high pitched male voice sounded from the beaded doorway.

Michelle yelped and turned around to see a man wearing a floor length leopard fur coat over pajama pants and a t-shirt. His hair was wrapped, and he was wearing slides with socks. The outfit should have been ridiculous, but the man held so much attitude and confidence in the way he was standing it just totally worked.

"May, who is this gorgeous girl you brought into my shop?" Without ever asking her size, the odd shop owner climbed up a stool and pulled out a shoe box from the very top shelf. Lu crossed the room and knelt in front of Michelle signaling for her to slide her feet into the silver stilettos he had magically manifested. Perfect fit.

"Lu, meet Michelle. Michelle, meet Lu."

The fabulous man stood up and air kissed Michelle on both cheeks and then took Michelle's hand and signaled for her to spin. Michelle allowed herself to be swept up in the moment and did a turn for her appraising audience. 

“Perfection.” 

When Michelle caught her reflection in the mirror she could only shake her head in disbelief. In another life, she would have owned this look and let all the boys eat their hearts out. For a perfect moment, she was Cinderella and May and Lu had dressed her for the ball, then she smiled sadly when she remembered this wasn’t a fairytale and Peter would never see this dress. Peter? What did he have to do with anything?

"What’s the occasion?” Lu asked mischievously.

“Michelle is going to wear that dress to the homecoming dance at Midtown.” May said in a conspiring tone. 

“Michelle is not wearing this dress anywhere.” Michelle replied dryly. 

“Oh, fine. Ruin all my fun.” May harrumphed kindly.

“You don’t like my dress?” Lu asked from the stool he had gracefully perched on. 

“This is yours? Are all of these your designs?” Michelle asked in astonishment reassessing the room full of beautiful garments and costumes. “They’re incredible.” Michelle said honestly.

“But you don’t want to where it?”

“No, I love the dress. It’s not that, I just can’t…well, I was looking to be a little less…um, noticeable.”

Lu looked confused at her statement like he couldn’t quite understand why she would possibly want to be invisible. He considered her for a moment more almost like he could see the truth hidden behind her eyes but eventually just nodded and started pulling out dresses with May. It should have been awkward to be dressed by these complete strangers, but the two of them had that intangible quality that made them seem like family when they were only just acquaintances.

After six more dresses and a lot of laughter and teasing, the three of them had decided on a tea length yellow dress with a peter-pan collar. It was modest and pretty, but for the most part, completely forgettable. 

“Thank you both so much for helping me.” Michelle said genuinely. “I definitely wouldn’t have found one on my own.”

Lu handed her the bag with a wink. 

“You, my dear, are welcome any time.” 

“It was great to meet you, Michelle.” May said as she returned to the rack of ties. 

Michelle waved awkwardly and then pushed out the door reeling from the unexpected turn of events. She had stepped into the completely average looking thrift store on a whim hoping to stumble upon something wearable. Instead, she had met the woman responsible for raising Spider-man and been whisked away to a retired fashion designer’s private playground. 

When she got back to her flat, she was shocked to find not only the conservative utterly forgettable yellow dress, but also, the gorgeous show-stopping silver one with a note pinned to the front. 

“For when you’re ready to shine,  
-Lu.”

Michelle felt the ice that she held around her heart thaw a few more degrees. 

Maybe people weren’t so bad after all. 

Michelle spent the better half of the night trying to convince herself to leave in the morning. She knew she had gotten in too deep. It was bad enough when she had just been battling her feelings for the spiderling, but now she had gone and gotten attached to his best friend and his ridiculously cool aunt too. The scariest part was realizing that deep down she didn’t want to go at all. Years of running from her emotions, hiding her true self, and all it took was some stupid spandex wearing dumb dork and his lovable friends and family to ruin all the walls she had built. She should leave before she was further compromised by these ridiculous feelings. It was irresponsible for a spy to fall in love. It complicated everything. It put every one at risk. It put her heart at risk.

She didn’t leave.

She went to homecoming. 

Michelle spent the entire evening battling with herself trying to resist the undesired emotions clambering out of her thawing heart, especially when that nerd Peter Parker showed up. 

She tried ignoring him completely. 

She flipped him the bird instead. 

She tried not to wonder if he was in trouble when she noticed the shocked and stressed expression clouding his eyes.

She wondered anyway. 

She even tried to look away as he walked across the room towards Liz.

She watched the whole thing. 

She tried not to notice how good he looked tonight wearing the suit from Ben’s funeral with the new tie May had found at the thrift shop.

She noticed.

She barely restrained herself from running after him as he sprinted out of the gym before the first dance had even finished. 

She tried not to enjoy hanging out with the breakfast club of nerds she had reluctantly become a part of.

She loved every minute. 

The next day, she tried not to read the newspapers that were packed with stories of the web-slinging hero who had taken down The Vulture. 

She read every. single. one.

All in all. Michelle was failing spectacularly at reigning in her mischievous heart.

The moment she began to really panic had been in decathlon when Mr. Finkle named her the new captain and she suddenly couldn’t shut her mouth.The entire table was clapping and looking at her expectantly. 

"Uh, thanks.” And before she had even processed what she was saying, she added. “My friends call me MJ."

What the hell Michelle?!? Where is this coming from? You haven't gone by that name in years. 

Ned quickly interjected, "I thought you didn't have any friends." 

Excellent point Leads. I don’t. But of course, what she actually said was, 

"Uh...I didn't." 

Oh good, Michelle why don’t you just go all in and suggest a group hug next time. This was getting out of control.

She was saved from her internal panic attack when Peter’s cell phone chimed. 

"Uh, I gotta go." Peter mumbled as he made his way to leave the table preoccupied as usual. 

"Where are you going?” 

What the actual fuck, Michelle. You don't care remember? 

She tried not loving the owl-eyed concerned look on Peter’s perfect face and she even tried to resist making him squirm in front of his classmates. 

"What are you hiding, Peter?"

Peter visibly paled as he looked across the table at her.

Am I even in control of mouth anymore?? Disengage Jones. Disengage. 

"I'm just kidding. I don't care, bye"

Let's hope he buys that load of crap. I’m pretty sure I just said more words in the last two minutes than the previous year combined. Good work on not getting involved, Michelle.

"Alright, we should run some drills."

Michelle tried really hard not to stare after Peter as he walked away. 

She stared anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just saw Ant-Man and the Wasp. Literally the entire plot surrounds the concept of Quantum Entanglement. So, freaking cool. 
> 
> Go see it! 
> 
> And yes, the silver dress in the shop was inspired by "Versace On The Floor."


	7. Equilibrium

“across a room  
tangled in her imagination  
they had spent a life time together  
by the time he said hello.”

-atticus

Summer break was finally here. Michelle slept till noon on the first Monday after school ended simply because she could. When she woke up, the silence in her apartment seemed deafening. Memories of nightmares long buried away seeped into her mind the moment she let herself rest. 

So, she did what she always did when the storm of flashbacks rolled in, she ran. 

And ran.

And ran. 

Michelle loved running. It made her feel untouchable like she could actually escape the grief clutching at her heals. There was something peaceful about pounding down the pavement with only her heartbeat and her gasping lungs for company.

She knew she would have to fill her time with something this summer and as much as she wished she didn’t have to, she would eventually have to stop running.

Every summer since she was five and had aced the aptitude tests given to her by her parents, Michelle had been in training mode. She’d never had time to consider what she would do if the call never came, because it always had. The general public and most of the government didn't even know Nick Furry had reformed SHIELD with Agent Coulson but they had been hard at work, dispatched across the globe silently, thanklessly keeping the little blue planet spinning. She loved her job but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t take the freedom while she could. 

She would train every single day. If the call came, she’d be ready. But for the first time in her life, she found herself hoping it wouldn’t. She had made a pretty extensive mental bucket-list for her time off this summer and she wanted to check every single one.

 

Michelle's Summer Bucket List: 

1\. Volunteer at the Wakandan out-reach center in New York City (She had promised Shuri she would)

2\. Teach self-defense classes at the battered women's shelter

3\. Don't think about Peter Parker 

4\. Protest the latest bull-shit anti-hero legislation that Secretary of State Ross was shoveling towards the public and a host of other current injustices toward society at large

5\. Make a new friend 

6\. Don't think about her Mom

7\. Read 100 books 

8\. Don't be lonely 

9\. Ghost write an op-ed column for the daily bugle on hero-human relations-because she was sick of J. Jonah Jameson only telling one side of the story

10\. Watch a sunrise by the ocean

11\. Don't think about how much she missed her Dad 

12\. Find the best pizza in New York City 

13\. Don't sketch Pete for the 100th time. Seriously, it was getting creepy 

14\. Actually, get a nice summer glow

15\. Finish her Political science degree

16\. Dance in the rain 

17\. Don't dream about curly hair and chocolate brown eyes

 

All in all. A pretty good list if she did say so herself. She was most excited about teaching at the women's and children's centers. Michelle believed if SHIELD hadn’t coerced her from an early age, she would have grown up to be a teacher. She loved the idea of being able to empower someone with knowledge or skills that could elevate or protect their life. 

So, she taught and laughed and learned more from her students than she could have ever given in return. Summer was passing in a blur. Michelle didn't know when it happened, but she began to feel everything again. There was joy and wonder and fear and empathy were for years there had only been ice. Her heart had begun to beat again and suddenly after years of just observing, she was living. 

She left her mostly empty apartment every morning at five with her hair wild, wearing an oversized t-shirt, worn-out boyfriend jeans, and her trusty chucks. She volunteered, taught, explored, trained, studied and then collapsed into bed in an exhausted heap eager to do it all again.

She hadn’t found the best pizza in New York City, but she had definitely found the best coffee shop. Aunt May had opened the shop about six months after Ben’s death. Michelle loved going to study there and not just because she had a huge girl-crush on May (who didn’t?). 

There was something magical about ‘The Greenhouse’ which sat on a corner of two busy streets only a few blocks from Michelle’s apartment. On any given day, it could be filled with a strange concoction of local hippies, starving artists, and stressed-out businessmen that somehow all left their individual worlds to coexist over a cup of coffee for a few magical minutes.

The entire shop was teeming with life, filled to the brim with every type of plant and succulent imaginable sandwiched between a conglomeration of mismatched sofas and chairs. The walls were full of beautifully curated pieces of local art that made the space feel authentic in a derivative world. May’s unique style, open heart, and warm vitality could be felt in every corner of the small brick building. There was a small alcove off the main room that had become Michelle’s hideout for studying, sketching, and reading. One wall was completely covered in moss, one was a floor-to-ceiling community book shelf, and the other was brick and had a quote painted carefully in white letters. The intimate space had probably been a closet in the buildings previous life but like everything else she touched, May had seen the hidden potential, opened it up, and gave it a second chance. Michelle knew the wall was incredibly special to May, how could it not be when it immortalized the words of the love of her life.

“Don’t try to be something else. Don’t try to be less. Great things are going to happen to you and your life.”  
-Ben 

Michelle couldn’t explain it but when she sat in the worn-out recliner underneath the painted wisdom, slightly removed from the fray of miscellaneous patrons, she felt at home. There was a peaceful energy in this spot that felt like a hug from a long-lost friend. She loved losing hours at a time in the comforting niche.

She was curled up in her chair reading 'The Alchemist', when she heard a voice speak from the doorway of her hideout. 

“People are capable, at any time in their lives of doing what they dream of.”

Michelle was startled out of her oblivious cocoon and looked up directly into her favorite pair of eyes. Peter was leaning against the doorway with his hands pushed into his pockets staring at Michelle with a blush coloring his cheeks. She hadn’t seen him since that last day in school and wasn’t surprised that her memories didn’t do him justice. The first thing she noticed was that his voice had gotten deeper and the next was that he had somehow managed to get even more handsome. Any hope Michelle had held onto that distance would weaken her feelings for the dumb dork vanished when he had quoted one of her favorite author's to her. That curious tension between them immediately saturated the small space they occupied. 

“I wouldn’t have taken you for a Paulo Coelho fan.”

Peter laughed and ran a hand through his effortlessly curly hair. 

“I am when I can sit still long enough to read more than a sentence or two at a time.”

“Something tells me that doesn’t happen very often.” 

Peter laughed self-deprecatingly. 

“Almost never.”

Michelle smiled softly as she looked back down at her opened book wondering what had made him come over to her. She knew she should ignore him until he eventually left her alone but of course she couldn’t resist tempting her heart with a few more minutes of conversation. She hadn’t realized how addictively easy he would be to talk to.

“I never see you here.” Michelle observed.

“Yeah, the uh, Stark Internship keeps me pretty busy, but May made me promise to close up tonight so she could go to a gallery opening.”

Michelle sat up suddenly noticing she was the only person left in the place. She glanced down at the cracked watch on her wrist. It was half past midnight. The Greenhouse had been closed for thirty minutes already.

“I’m sorry.” She said self-consciously as she closed her book and sprang up. In her embarrassment, she hadn’t considered that she had been sitting still for hours and that her quick accent would cause all of her blood to rush from her head. She closed her eyes and swayed backwards unsteadily. 

In an instant, Peter’s hands were on her arms holding her in place. A simmering electricity spread through his hands causing Michelle’s entire body to erupt in goosebumps. Woah. 

She opened her eyes to see Peter’s staring at hers in concern. Her stomach took flight on the wings of a hundred butterflies as she soaked in the intoxicating feeling of finally being this close to Peter. Was it always like this? 

“You alright?”

She was most definitely not alright. 

“Yeah, I just lost my equilibrium there for a moment.” She said unable to stop a smile from forming on her lips as she looked down at her chucks. 

“I know the feeling.” Peter whispered under his breath.

“What was that?”

“The uh, um, the paint is peeling.” Peter pointed to the wall vaguely and then returned his hands to his pockets. Huh? Michelle could have sworn she heard something else. But her mind really couldn’t be trusted in her current state. He hadn’t stepped back yet which was making it incredibly hard to formulate any coherent thoughts other than how good he smelled.

“Sorry, for keeping you. I just lost track of time.” She explained while chancing a glance back to his eyes.

“Something tells me you do that a lot.”

“Almost always.” Michelle responded honestly. Peter’s face broke out in one of his easy smiles at her response. There was a suspended moment when they just existed together smiling like idiots. It felt equal parts peaceful and chaotic. 

Peter looked down as he scratched the back of his neck self-consciously but when his eyes returned they had a determined glint in them. Her heart literally stuttered in her chest.

“Would yo-“ Peter’s eyes got a faraway look halfway through his question and at that exact moment a siren erupted shattering their intimate bubble. His eyes returned to hers torn with indecision. 

Michelle made the decision for him. She wouldn't make him come up with a half baked excuse. He had to go. She understood that. 

“See ya around, loser.” She pushed past Peter without another word and hurried out the front of the shop walking purposefully toward her apartment. She didn’t look back until she had made it to the end of the block. She smiled softly under the flickering street lights as she watched Spider-Man swinging through the shadows towards the unseen emergency. 

I wonder what he would have asked me. 

Michelle couldn’t get the interaction out of her mind for weeks. She stayed busy volunteering, training, and studying, but somehow those big brown puppy dog eyes always ended up back in her thoughts. It didn’t help that there was always someone talking about him adoringly. A woman would come into the shelter after having been saved by the red and blue spider, singing his praises. The kids at the outreach center would make her watch endless YouTube videos of the crime fighting spider unaware of how it made her heart ache. She would escape to the park sure that no-one would be talking about him there, only to overhear two old men who were playing chess talking about how the neighborhood felt safe again like it had when they were kids. She couldn’t blame any of them though, she was practically the president of the Spider-man fan club even if she could never admit it.

She had this undeniable feeling of missing something that she had never actually had.

Where was he anyway?

Michelle was walking home from The Greenhouse late one afternoon when she heard May calling her name. 

“Hey, May. What’s up?” May had jogged up to Michelle with a mischievous look in her eye. 

“I need your help.” 

Michelle couldn’t say no. Plus she might actually catch a glimpse of her favorite phantom superhero. 

It turned out May had needed help with baking a whole bunch of cookies for the local soup kitchen. Only by May’s own admission, she couldn’t cook worth a damn and the baker that made all of the pastries for the shop was out of town. The only problem with her master plan was that she had recruited the only girl in Queens who was a worse at baking than her. The two of them probably burnt more cookies than they saved but had spent the entire afternoon laughing hysterically and talking about everything and nothing all at once. There was something about May that effortlessly brought out the side of Michelle that she so carefully hid from the world.

What is it with these Parkers? 

The two women delivered the goodies late in the evening and then went their separate ways. Michelle was walking home feeling lighter than she had in years. She was even singing a song from a musical that Ned had forced her to watch as she skipped up the stairs to her apartment.

Her voice cut off abruptly when she opened her apartment door to discover her father sitting on the couch reading today's newspaper. 

"I'm a big fan of the column, little star." Her father said with a kind smile. Michelle had been submitting op-eds to the Bugle under the pseudonym of Mary Jane Watson. She had once used the name as a cover for a mission in South Africa forgetting that he would of course recognize it. 

The light feeling that had carried her home was immediately squashed under the weight of her father’s presence. 

"Agent." Michelle said coolly even while her heart cried out for her to run into his arms.

"MJ." He acknowledged soberly taking in her tone and closed-off body language. "I've received intel that the young mister Osborn is returning to Queens in a few weeks. Consider yourself unbenched."

"Understood. Is that all?" She was being torn in half as her mind refused to let her budge while her heart begged for a her to move. Hug him. Hit him. Do something. Anything.

His face softened to have an almost vulnerable quality about it. "No, I was hoping I could talk to my daughter. I heard about this great Thai place a few blocks over?" Her father said hopefully. 

Michelle felt physically ill. This had been the longest conversation she had had with her father in years and she viscerally ached to be near him. There had been a time when they had been inseparable. Her father had been her favorite person in the whole world and she had had him wrapped around her little finger. He had been her very best friend and her greatest hero. She had wanted to be just like him when she grew up. Brave. Honorable. Romantic. Loyal. Dangerous. He was a total badass with a heart of gold who had loved her mom with the fiercest, purest love she had ever seen.

Then he had killed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ben's quote was an abbreviation from a panel from the ultimate Spider-Man comics. 
> 
> The entire quote is from just before Ben dies and is this comics version of the classic 'with great power, comes great responsibility' 
> 
> "Don't try to be something else. Don't try to be less. Great things are going to happen to you and your life, Peter. Great Things. And with that will come great responsibility. Do you understand?"
> 
> Peter quotes a line from the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. 
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	8. Star

“As far as I can see, grief will never truly end. It may become softer over time, more gentle, and some days will feel sharp. But grief will last as long as love does-forever. It’s simply the way the absence of your loved one manifests in your heart. A deep longing accompanied by the deepest love. Some days, the heavy fog may return, and the next day, it may recede, once again. It’s all an ebb and flow, a constant dance of sorrow and joy, pain and sweet love.” -Scribbles & Crumbs

 

THREE YEARS AGO

Triskelion

Washington D.C.

 

Thirteen-year old Michelle crooked her finger at the much larger, much taller, male agent across from her on the sparing mat. Taunting wasn’t encouraged amongst recruits, but MJ hated this kid. He was the type of guy that picked apart anyone who showed a weakness to fuel his own already intolerable ego. He may have been one foot and about 60 pounds heavier than her, but he was going to eat plastic. He had been beating down on one of Michelle’s friends, Jamie, who was primarily an intelligence guy and would in reality spend no time in the field. The kid’s skinny stature and soft heart made him an automatic target for bully’s like this. So, Michelle made a deal. If she could win in hand-to-hand combat than he had to leave Jamie alone. 

No rules. Just a fair fight.

The cocky teenager charged MJ expecting to use his larger stature and brute strength to overpower her easily. Michelle ducked to the right rolling out of the way, but not quite fast enough. He caught her foot and dragged her back towards him across the plastic mat. Not to be taken so easily, she kicked out her leg landing a foot directly to his nose. The irate boy wiped the blood from his broken nose and grabbed her by the front of her shirt and punching Michelle straight across the face. Once. Twice. Three times. She collapsed to the ground only to feel his foot connect with her ribs forcing the air out of her lungs.

Ouch. That sucked. 

Michelle was seeing stars and was bent over on her hands and knees. The asshole grabbed her by her hair dragging her up into a standing position. 

“Want to tap out?” He said sneeringly. 

Michelle spit blood in his face and brought her knee up into his crotch. As soon as he had released her hair, she climbed over him wrapping her legs around his throat and forcing him to the ground with her thighs wrapped tightly around his neck. 

Got you, asshole. 

He thrashed and struggled, but MJ had him in a death grip. It was over for him. Michelle smiled proudly. 

“Want to tap out?” She asked sarcastically.

The teen tapped his hand and Michelle rolled away as all of the watching trainees cheered loudly. The fighters faced one another and shook hands while staring daggers at each other and then Michelle stepped out of the ring, unwrapping the tape around her fists. 

She was drinking her water bottle and getting patted on the back by her friends when she noticed STRIKE officers at every exit of the gym. What's that about? 

Just when she turned to ask Jamie about the anomalous guards, Captain America’s voice sounded over the intercom. 

“Attention all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, this is Steve Rogers. You've heard a lot about me over the last few days.”

What the hell?

“Some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it's time to tell the truth. S.H.I.E.L.D. is not what we thought it was. It's been taken over by HYDRA. Alexander Pierce is their leader. The S.T.R.I.K.E. and Insight crew are HYDRA as well. I don't know how many more, but I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you.”

Michelle began slowly backing into the woman’s locker room pulling Jamie with her discreetly. They were out in the open. Totally exposed.

“They almost have what they want. Absolute control. They shot Nick Fury. And it won't end there. If you launch those helicarriers today, HYDRA will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way. Unless we stop them. I know I'm asking a lot. But the price of freedom is high. It always has been. And it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not.”

For one second, everyone in the room was completely still. The next chaos erupted as gunshots fired from every side of the gym. All of the recruits were unarmed, and the STRIKE crew opened fire. It was a blood bath. Michelle saw three of her best friends die in front of her face. She was holding Jamie’s hand and running when she suddenly lost her grip. She turned around and saw her best friend face down on the gym flood with blood pouring out the back of his head. For a horrible moment she stood still in shock. What is going on? A bullet hit the wall right beside her head snapping her into action. Michelle dove into the locker room, climbed up the shower stalls, and then escaped the building through the ventilation shafts. 

She had to find her mom and dad. They had to be alright. 

Michelle was pissed. How had her parents and her been working for an agency that had been hosting one of the greatest evils of all time and not known about it? She kicked out the screen on external air-conditioning shaft and sprinted to her family's apartment. Ten minutes later she burst through the door to her home covered in sweat. They had a contingency plan for eventualities like this. 

Meet at the apartment.  
Grab a go bag.  
Disappear across the nearest border.  
Stay together at all costs.

Michelle was furiously stuffing clothes into her go-bag with shaking hands when she heard the front door slam open. 

"Mom, is that you?" She whispered. Her nerves were already utterly shot and she could feel as the sweat beaded across her forehead as she leaned around the wall to the living room.

Mom!

Michelle rushed out into the living room just in time to see her mother ripping the art from the wall to reveal her dad's safe. Michelle's body broke out in chills as she felt the adrenaline surge through her body. 

Something wasn't right. 

Michelle's mom was always the cool headed one. She never got overly emotional. Never lost her temper. But she was shaking, sweating, swearing, and banging the butt of her pistol against the safe's lock. She startled and aimed her gun at Michelle out of instinct. There was one short moment when Michelle thought her mom hadn't recognized her, then she lowered the weapon. 

"Michelle, sweetie. I c-c-can't remember the combination. Can you put it in for me?" 

Alarm bells went off in Michelle's head. Her mother's voice sounded off. Too high pitched and nervous. That was one of Michelle's strengths. Voice recognition and lie detection. She had specialized in interrogation and intel extraction. She had a sixth sense for when people were lying. But why would her mom lie? She must be paranoid. Freaking Hydra was making her doubt her instincts and training. This was her mom, if she couldn't trust the woman who had raised her than who could she trust?

Michelle took two cautious steps toward her mother. Her instincts were screaming at her to run. Was she losing her mind? This was mom. This wasn’t Hydra. She could trust her.

Her father was one of the five pillars of SHIELD. It was Fury’s back up plan. If SHIELD was compromised the essential information for national and global security would be divided into five parts and distributed to director Fury’s most trusted associates, who would reform the agency in the dark. There was information in that safe regarding the identities of countless undercover agents, multiple extraterrestrial threats, deadly weapon specs, scientific breakthroughs, and enough intel from the dark web to cripple any government in existence. It all resided on a small data chip housed inside a gold star pendent on a long gold chain. But she wasn’t supposed to know that. No one was. She had been hiding in the chest when she had been nine years old and overheard a conversation with Nick Fury and her father that she never forgot.

"Mom I don't know the combination. Only dad does." She lied. She couldn’t explain why she had but her instincts wouldn’t allow her to open the safe.

She saw the exact moment all the warmth left her mother’s eyes. A cold masked slipped over the woman’s face making her closest ally look like a complete stranger. Michelle’s heart snapped in two as her worst nightmare was realized. 

"Open the safe or I put a bullet in your chest in the next three seconds." 

Mommy? Her brain couldn’t process the events in front of her fast enough.

"Three..." 

Mom was Hydra. 

Mommy?

"Two..."

Mom was going to kill her. Mommy wouldn’t kill her would she?

No. No. No. This can't be happening this isn't real. Think Michelle, think...

"One...."

Mommy? 

“Rebecca. Put the gun down.” Michelle had squeezed her eyes shut prepared for the worst but let out a relieved breath as her father entered the room with his handgun trained on her mother’s head.

“I don’t care what you’ve done. We can figure this out. We’re a family.”

Michelle’s blood had run cold. The woman who had given birth to her, raised her, claimed to love her for her entire life had a gun pointed at her chest. There was this horrible excruciating moment of hope when everything was still. The three members of the Jones family just stared at one another desperate to erase the last few hours. Michelle’s mother’s eyes filled with tears but she never lowered the gun.

“We we’re never a family.” The broken voice felt like a knife through Michelle’s soul.

“Mom!?!!”

“Hail, Hydr-“

Michelle heard two-gun shots echo through her ears. Then nothing.

What happened? 

Her heart was pounding so fast and her ears ringing so loudly that everything else faded to white noise. She saw her mother collapse to the ground and turned to see her father’s gun still smoking. 

Daddy? What did you do?

Then she felt a searing pain rip through her chest. Looking down just in time to see blood saturate the front of her T-shirt. Unable to hold herself up she collapsed to her knees and then crumpled forward. 

Mommy? Had her mom just shot her? Was mom ok? I have to stand up. Why can't I move? 

I feel cold. 

Mommy!? 

Daddy?

Michelle heard her name, but it sounded far away almost like she was under water and someone was yelling from above the surface. She gathered all of her strength to open her eyes. She wished she hadn’t because what she saw would haunt her nightmares for the rest of her life. 

Her mom’s lifeless eyes stared back at Michelle as blood from a bullet wound in her forehead seeped sickeningly onto the floor. 

She felt two hands roll her to her back and put pressure on her chest. She kept hearing her name, but the world had gone black. Why was it so cold?

"Michelle, Michelle! Stay with me. Stay with me." 

She felt the last of her strength fade away and the last thing she heard was the anguished yell of her father. 

"Nooooo. Come back, little star. Oh God, please. Not my MJ to..."

 

PRESENT DAY

Michelle's eyes locked with her fathers and she knew they were both reliving the same moment. The moment when everything changed.

Michelle had almost died at the hands of her mother. The bullet missed her heart by mere millimeters and even still she had been in the hospital for two months. The rehab had been excruciating but it was nothing compared to the pain of complete betrayal. One of the only people in the world she would have taken a bullet for, had been the one firing the gun. 

The betrayal hadn’t stopped there. Her father had spiraled into such a deep depression in that time that he had never come back to Michelle. He abandoned her. Physically and emotionally.

He blamed himself for not knowing her mom was Hydra. He blamed himself for Michelle getting shot. But mostly, he blamed himself for still loving his wife even after she had betrayed him. Apparently, killing the love of your life breaks a part of a man's soul that can't be fixed. 

So, before Michelle had even come out of her medically induced coma in the hospital, he kissed her on the forehead, clasped the now empty star pendant around her neck, and went hunting. He was a man possessed. He would go on to nearly single-handedly kill all the known remaining Hydra agents. He became one of the deadliest agent SHIELD had ever known. He was Nick Fury's one-man mercenary squad and he never looked back. He couldn't be stopped, couldn’t be bothered. Not even to check on his broken daughter. 

Michelle, deep in her own despair, had felt totally abandoned. She tried to understand why her father hadn’t been there when she woke up and why he hadn’t tried to call. But she was a thirteen-year-old girl who had been betrayed by her heroes. She had lost her entire family, her entire world in the amount of time it took to fire a gun. There was too much. Too much pain. Too much fear. Too much betrayal.

So, she shut it all down. She didn’t let herself cry. She didn’t let herself grieve. She went numb and then she went to work.

When the loyal faction of SHIELD reformed in the shadows, Michelle was first in line to sign her life away. She was a woman possessed. She passed every test they put in front of her and she finished them twice as fast as expected. She became the perfect agent. She had no attachments. She had no distractions. She just executed the mission. Over and over and over again.

Then she had taken an assignment in Queens and everything had changed. A skinny kid with kind eyes and endless courage had made her believe in humanity again. He had given her hope in a time when she had none. She had finally allowed herself to breath, to feel, to live. 

That’s when the ghost from her past had showed up on her couch without any warning crushing her heart in his hands. 

She was staring at the man who had been her whole world and she only saw a stranger. 

Yes, they had corresponded about missions. That was unavoidable in the now intimate network of agents stationed around the world. But they hadn’t actually been alone in a room together since he put a bullet in her mom’s forehead and she had been bleeding out on the floor. 

She didn't want him here. He brought with him the memory of abandonment, shame, and soul crushing grief. She had finally found some semblance of happiness on her own in the bustling streets of Queens and here he was finally giving a shit and showing up. Finally, wanting to be with her. She didn’t have the forgiveness she knew he wanted. She couldn’t let him back in. He only got to break her heart once. 

"Get out.”

"MJ please. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left. I should have stayed. You just reminded me of your.....her and I couldn't breathe...I couldn't move....I couldn't...I'm sorry. I shouldn’t have let go."

She wanted to kick his ass and collapse in his arms simultaneously. She had never been so conflicted over anything in her entire life. But, her self-preserving instincts won out and she opened the door staring at him expectantly. She wouldn't let him see her tears. He had lost that right when he left. 

"Goodnight, agent."

Michael Jones trudged dejectedly to the door. He stopped in front of Michelle, kissed her on the forehead, and whispered,

"Goodnight, little star."

Michelle collapsed against the door as soon as it closed. She felt the tears fall down her face and her heart tremble in her chest. She was furious. She was devastated. It all just hurt so much. How dare he show up now and rob her of her happiness?

She wouldn’t let herself fall apart. She knew from experience that there would be no one there to put the pieces back together.

She only had herself and she wouldn't do that again. 

So, she did what Michelle Jones did best. 

She ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cap's monologue was taken directly for Captain America: The Winter Soldier


	9. Oven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for a brief glimpse at Peter's point of view :)  
> enjoy.

“I have never had a conversation as deep as the one I had with your eyes, when we said nothing at all.”  
-Stephanie Bennett-Henry

Peter Parker was finally feeling like himself again or at least as much as he could feel like himself after being bit by a radioactive spider and getting super powers. Peter could hardly believe how much his life had changed this past year. Sure, he was still a total nerd who loved old movies, Legos, and pretty much every subject remotely related to science and math, but Peter had grown up a lot in the last year. Tragedy does that to a person. 

God, he missed Ben. 

Ben had been his rock. From the moment his parents died, Ben had been there holding him up. Ben held him when the sadness of losing his parents became too much. Ben picked him up when he fell and mended his busted knees. Ben cheered for him when he had succeeded and encouraged him when he failed. Losing Ben because of his own irresponsibility would haunt Peter for the rest of his life. He could never atone for his failure, but he would damn sure try. 

Every decision Peter made now was influenced by his desire to make his uncle proud. Ben had been the best uncle and surrogate father a young man could ask for. He had been young, free-spirited, and roguishly handsome (May's description not his) when the Parker's dropped 4-year-old Peter on their doorstep. Ben quit his band, flushed his marijuana (most of it), and reported to a factory job by six the next morning. He worked insanely long hours yet always had a minute to "help" Peter with his homework. He mostly just let Peter sit in his lap and read because Ben had never been the studious type and Peter could never sit still otherwise. 

Ben never had a large bank account and he rode the subway to work and back every day, but you would have sworn he had been the richest man in the world. He had more integrity, grit, passion, and loyalty in his heart than any other man Peter had ever known. 

Ben had loved May so fiercely and selflessly that sometimes it had been hard to be in the same room as the two of them. Everything Peter knew about love he had learned from them. Peter would fake vomiting whenever they would slow dance in the living room after dinner or kiss each other passionately in plain sight, but he had secretly dreamed of finding an unconditional love like theirs. Nobody but May knew this about him, but Peter was a bit of a hopeless romantic, just like his uncle had been.

Peter pulled extra hard on his webs and soared high above the sky scrapers in New York City. For a moment he was weightless, untouchable, and completely care free then he flipped twice while free-falling and shot another web pulling him up and away.

This summer had been insanely busy. Between training upstate at the Avengers facility, freelancing for the Bugle, and keeping the streets of Queens and New York City safe, Peter felt like he hadn't stopped moving in weeks. It was all that he could do to help out May at the shop and try and catch a movie with Ned every few weeks. 

He had taken a few beatings, sure, but he always seemed to come out on top. The Sandman had been a nightmare, he hadn't gotten the sand out of his suit for weeks. He couldn’t really complain though. Whatever strange villain or strenuous challenge the city threw at him, he loved being Spider-man.

Peter pulled himself up on top of a building and sat with his feet over the edge, watching as the sun set over the city. 

"Hi, Karen."

"Hello, Peter. What would you like to do?"

"Call, May." 

"Calling, Aunt May."

"Thanks, Karen."

The call connected and all he heard from the other end was laughter. He hadn't heard May laugh like that since before Ben had died. He didn't say anything, not wanting to ruin the moment for her, just sitting their eternally grateful for whatever had brought back May's laugh.

"I swear I only put them in for eight minutes." Peter's heart skipped a beat in his chest at the sound of the second voice. He’d know that voice anywhere, it had been bouncing around his head for weeks. That was Michelle. He hadn’t ever heard her laugh, but he was pretty sure it had just become his favorite sound in the entire universe. 

"I think this oven is possessed. I have to take this, don't let that batch burn, M, I'm counting on you." He could still hear laughing in the background when she finally acknowledged him, "Hey, Peter." 

He heard the sound of a door closing.

"Hi, May. I heard The Greenhouse was on fire. Figured you must've been baking."

"Ha. Ha." She said dryly. "It's not me it's the oven. It's possessed!" 

"That’s crazy. I mean what are the odds the ovens at the shop and at the apartment are both possessed. You must've really pissed someone off in a past life."

"Very funny."

"Thank you, I'll be here all night."

"And by ‘all night’ do you mean I might actually get to see my nephew or is his web slinging alter ego pulling another all nighter?"

"Nah, it's been pretty quiet. I’ll probably call it early. So, why are you risking the lives of everyone in Queens by trying to bake?"

"I promised the soup kitchen I would bring desert for movie night, but I forgot that Hannah was out of town. Then I picked the one girl in Queens who ovens hate more than me. Next time I'm making you do it."

Peter smiled when he heard May describing Michelle fondly. It was an unlikely friendship and he wasn't sure how he felt about May being alone with the girl he was mildly obsessed with, but it had been so good to hear May laugh he couldn't be upset.

"I think I've just lost my touch, Ben always loved my cookies."

"Ben, loved you. There's a difference." Peter teased. 

There was a pause when they both silently remembered all of nights spent laughing around the dinner table as they had choked down May’s inedible concoctions. Ben had always asked for seconds just to make May smile.

"It's good to hear you laugh." Peter said honestly. 

"It's good to laugh again."

Another pause. 

"So, how's Michelle?" 

“Couldn’t resist could ya?”

“I’m just checking in on a friend.”

"Oh, no. Not a chance lover boy. I'm no spy. If you want an update you need to swing your skinny but down here and ask her yourself."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Oh, yes you do. I saw the way you looked at her the other night before I left for the gallery opening. If you looked up 'heart eyes' in the dictionary, it would just be a picture of you."

"You must be seeing things in your old age. There's no reason to be embarrassed, I heard it happens to everyone."

"I'm going to get you back for that comment later, but all jokes aside, I totally approve. That girl is special."

"Yeah, she is. But how do I-"

"Robbery in process. 31st and Broadway.

"Got to go, May."

"Please be careful."

"I larb you."

"Larb you too."

He was swinging before she had even finished her sentence. May's dating advice would have to wait. 

Two car accidents, an apartment fire, and a mugging later, Peter was swinging his way home. He had only slept a few hours over the last three nights and super-stamina aside, it was catching up to him. 

This was one of the best parts of being Spider-Man. Flying from building to building weightlessly while the city slept. This is where he did all of his thinking. In the quiet moments, hundreds of feet in the air, he would finally be free to wonder about her. 

He couldn't explain how it had happened. It didn't make sense that he would have this strong of feelings for someone he had barely spent time with. Peter had had crushes before, but this was different. Infatuation burned bright and blurred flaws, but this wasn’t that. Peter didn't just see her beautiful eyes, her brilliant mind, or her heart for the world. Peter saw Michelle’s flaws- her remote sadness, her defensive sarcasm, her self-inflicted isolation- and it only made him want to know her more. Logical or not he felt drawn to her like they were magnets constantly trapped in each other’s pull. He spent most of the summer restless to see her and looked for her in everyone he swung past hoping to catch just a glimpse. 

Then when the universe had conspired to leave them alone in his Aunt’s shop together, he had been compelled to talk to her. He had spent a whole hour just watching her read while curled up in Ben's old chair, building the courage to say hello. He thought that it might have been awkward or that she would have blown him off, but instead it had been effortless. He had been so close to asking her out, desperate to spend more time with her, when of course a corner store in midtown was being robbed at gunpoint. 

After that, he had stopped by the coffee shop three times as much as he typically did hoping to run into her, only to be disappointed when her chair sat empty. He'd spent every free moment since then thinking about the way she bit her lip when she was turning the page, or the way she pushed her hair behind her ear when it fell in her eyes, or how her face transformed when she genuinely smiled, or how it had felt like pure energy coursing through him when he touched her skin. Now he would have to add her laugh to the list of things about her that took his breath away. 

He had thought about just texting her and setting up a time to meet but it just felt too imperative to do over the phone. He wasn't sure why, but he knew he had to get it right, she was too important. 

He sighed through his mask and was about to make the final turn towards home after picking up his backpack when he saw her. Almost as if his thoughts were so powerful, she had manifested in front of him. 

What was she doing out here alone at two in the morning? Did she have a death wish? 

Despite his irritation at her lack of self-preserving instincts, he couldn't help the huge smile that broke out on his face. 

Peter squinted his white Spidey eyes zooming in on her face from a rooftop above. 

The giant smile faded when he realized something was very wrong. 

She was running. No, she was sprinting, but there was no one chasing her. Tears streamed down her face as she pounded down the pavement. 

She ran into the park and out of sight, but he immediately followed. Her legs were wobbling under her until they finally gave out and she collapsed to her hands and knees in the middle of the grassy park. Her entire body was shaking as she took deep heaping breaths resting on skinned knees.

Nothing in the world would have stopped him from going after her. 

He backed into a nearby alley and took his backpack off changing into his grey t-shirt, jeans, and chucks. He began approaching the sobbing girl cautiously as if a sudden movement might spook her and cause her to sprint off. She had gotten back to her feet but looked like she might fall over with the slightest breeze, he could see her body trembling. 

When he was a few feet behind her, Peter cleared his throat and said quietly. 

"MJ?"

Her shoulders tensed, and she whirled around with a fierce expression in her face. 

"What are you...*sniff*...doing here P-P-Peter?" She demanded angrily wiping the tears from her face as if he couldn’t see the anguish in her eyes. 

Shit. What are you doing here, Peter? Think man. Don't be creepy! Tell the truth. 

"I didn't want you to be alone."

Peter felt a surge of courage when he realized the words were absolutely true. He stepped forward and caught a tear with his thumb as it fell down her beautiful flushed cheeks. He didn't know why he did it and yet he couldn't have stopped himself if he had tried. 

He could see the terrible pain she had been hiding behind her castle of walls. Her eyes burned with it. He saw the soul crushing loneliness and the fear of loving again. He recognized it from his own eyes in the mirror. 

I see you.

One second they had been standing a foot apart staring into each other’s eyes.

The next Pete had wrapped his arms tightly around her. He hadn’t even remembered moving.

For a lingering minute, Michelle didn’t move. She stood perfectly still as if the contact had shocked her. Then she wrapped her arms so tightly around Peter it became almost hard to breath.

She was still crying, and he could feel her knees wobbling but he would never forget how natural it felt to have Michelle Jones in his arms.


	10. Sue

“She buried her ears into the calm of his heartbeat,  
and in a matter of seconds fell terribly in love with the way her loneliness fell softly and suddenly asleep,  
in his chest.”

-Christopher Poindexter

 

Peter Parker is hugging me right now. 

Michelle wanted to be embarrassed for being a huge emotional wreck. She wanted to be self-conscious of how sweaty she was. She wanted to push him away before she became addicted to the feeling of his arms around her. 

She didn't though. She stayed exactly where she was leaning all of her weight on Peter and letting her tears soak into his shirt. 

It felt so good to be held. She hadn't realized how much she had missed it. His arms had been a salve for her aching heart.

She wasn't sure how long they stood like that waiting for her breathing to return to normal. All of the pent-up pain, suppressed anger, and accumulated loneliness had finally poured out of her and while it had been excruciating, it had also been cathartic. Like taking a breath after she had been holding it for years. 

Peter was rubbing her back soothingly as she finally regained her composure. It happened in an instant, one second, she had been thinking about her destroyed family the next she had been perfectly content caged in the very muscular arms of Peter Parker not thinking of anything at all.

All at once, she became aware of his entire body pressed up against her own. She could feel his heart beat against her chest and his breath tickle the hairs on the nape of her neck. Her entire body broke out into chills from the rhythmic circles his hands made on her back. She felt her cheeks flush as the heat built in her veins from the proximity of Peter's body. 

Her mind finally caught up to her traitorous body and she began to panic about how vulnerable she was. She knew that at this moment her heart was dangerously close to opening for this skinny nerd even as the ghosts of her past lingered in the peripheral of her consciousness warning her of the potential heartbreak. Her self-preserving instincts were screaming at her to run, while her soul understood it was already too late. 

Peter leaned back slightly in her arms to catch her eyes. She felt like an exposed nerve, hypersensitive to every touch, sound, and emotion. Michelle knew he could probably see how emotionally raw she was written all over her face, so she immediately looked down and squirmed trying to escape the attention. She stilled when she felt Peter's strong hands cup her cheeks and lift her chin. 

Reluctantly she let her eyes travel back up to meet his. His expression was completely open and the genuine concern that she saw there made a few more tears pool in her eyes and roll over. 

Peter's brow furrowed, and he used the pads of his thumbs to wipe away her tears from her damp cheeks. At that moment, she noticed the big dark spot on his shoulder that had collected her tears as she fell apart.

"Sorry about your shirt." She said through her slightly shaky voice.

"I'll send you the laundromat bill." Peter said with a teasing smirk. Michelle chuckled softly and shook her head, grateful for his sense of humor in this otherwise tense situation. 

"I don't know what to say." Michelle admitted honestly trying to understand where they stood with one another. Peter still had his hands framing her face and she still had her arms wrapped around him. "I don't know if I can explain what you just saw."

"You don't owe me an explanation, Michelle." Michelle sighed in relief that he wasn't going to push her for answers she couldn't give. "Besides, I owed you a snotty, tear-filled hug. It's only fair."

"I'm not snotty." Michelle said defensively as she reached up and wiped her nose with the back of her hand while sniffing loudly. 

"Keep telling yourself that, Jones."

Michelle scoffed in mock offense and she pushed him away gently before his smile made her do something really stupid-like kiss him. 

"I think I have the cure for what's bothering you." Peter said confidently. 

"I don't know that it's going to be that easy." She said under her breath as she looked anywhere but at him. The phantoms that were still hovering darkly waiting to overtake her prodded her heart at the mention of the word cure. She didn’t think there would ever be a cure for this kind of heartache. 

"I’ve had a one hundred percent success rate so far." Peter said self-assuredly as he took her hand in his and pulled her after him as if it was the most natural thing in the world. 

Then again, maybe it was.

"Where are we going?" Michelle whined. She felt self-conscious about how she must look and bone-tired after running an additional six miles after her thirteen this morning. Her knees literally wobbled with each step.

"Do you trust me?" Peter said as they rounded a corner.

Michelle paused to think about it and while the logical part of her mind screamed that there was no way she could, her heart decided firmly that she did.

"Yes."

Peters face broke into a huge grin that literally made her heart contract and he tugged on her hand as he practically skipped toward his mysterious destination. After walking multiple blocks, Peter stopped in front of an old diner decorated in all types of 1960’s paraphernalia. 

"This is your magic cure?" Michelle asked incredulously. 

"It’s not magic, it’s science.” Michelle quirked an eyebrow at his definitive tone. When he didn’t continue speaking she prompted him with an incredulous look and her arms crossed across her chest.

“Do explain, Einstein.” 

“It is statistically impossible to be sad while drinking one of Sue’s handspun milkshakes. Many have tried. All have failed. While my sample size is admittedly quite limited, the hypothesis has been proven repeatedly. Leaving me to theorize that happiness is inevitable in the environment of homemade ice cream.”

“Nerd.” Michelle rolled her eyes while failing to contain her smile at Peter’s dorky defense. 

Peter opened the door for Michelle with a proud smile and went directly up to the counter as if he’d been here hundreds of times. An older woman with white hair, freckled skin, and bright green eyes came out of the kitchen. 

“Peter! I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me. Where have you been?”

“How could I ever forget the most beautiful woman in the world, Sue?” Peter said while kissing the woman on her wrinkled cheek.

“Flattery will get you everywhere, young man. Who is your friend?” The woman nodded at Michelle with a smile so bright and so genuine it was impossible not to return it. 

“This is Michelle and I promised her one of your world-renowned milkshakes.” 

“I tell you what. If you come take a look at my treacherous dishwasher, then the milkshakes are on the house.” 

“Deal.” Sue pushed back through the kitchen door leaving Peter and MJ alone in the deserted diner. 

“This will only take a second. Take a seat anywhere and I’ll be right back.” Peter bounced through the kitchen doors leaving Michelle to herself. She was thankful for the brief moment alone to sort through the emotional hurricane that was swirling inside of her. She walked over to the corner booth of the diner and curled up on the vinyl bench. Marvin Gaye’s sweet voice trickled from a jukebox beside the register as the neon ‘open’ light flashed through the window. 

She had been lost in thought when she heard the sound of a glass hitting the table. She looked up into Sue’s warm eyes and smiled as two giant milkshakes appeared in front of her. 

“Thank you so much.” Michelle said genuinely as the woman threw a few straws down on the table and plopped down across from Michelle. Sue had a world-wise look about her that implied that she had spent her life going from one vast adventure to the next and had lived to tell the tale. 

“Are you alright dear?” Sue asked without preamble. Clearly Michelle was doing a poor job of hiding her emotional turmoil tonight. 

“Oh, I’m fine honestly. I just had a long day.” Michelle said lamely. She could tell that the woman was too intelligent and too intuitive to be placated with her half-assed excuse. 

“Mmmhmm, well I don’t know what put those tears in your beautiful eyes, but I do know from experience that it won’t always be this way. The pain will never go away, but eventually we learn how to carry it and it becomes like an old friend instead of a sharp knife in the gut. The key is to just keep living.” Michelle could tell that the woman had experienced loss in her life and she thought about how strange it was that grief could connect even the most distant of strangers in an instant.

“Who did you lose?” Michelle asked gently, surprising herself by leaning into the conversation instead of retreating like she usually did. 

“John. He was the love of my life and my husband for 50 beautiful years.” Sue smiled wistfully as she was transported through her memories. “We met when we were sixteen and even though it sounds crazy, I knew we were meant to be from the first time are eyes met. He passed away seven years ago, and the world hasn’t been the same since. He painted my entire world in vibrant colors and made me feel like the most precious gem in the world.” 

Michelle watched as Sue got a mischievous look in her eye and then added, “John used to look at me in exactly the same way that Peter looks at you.”

“Oh, uh. Peter and I are not together.” Michelle said blushing at Sue’s observation while secretly, desperately hoping Peter did look at her differently. “We’re just friends.” She said, unable to keep her disappointment at that fact out of her tone

“Oh honey, you are in so much more trouble than I thought.” Sue said with a knowing look. “Does he know how you feel about him?”

“I don’t know what your-“ At the woman’s ‘don’t bullshit me’ look, Michelle’s sentence trailed off. “I don’t know how.” Michelle admitted honestly. She hadn’t had anyone to discuss her feelings with let alone anyone to tell her how to act on them. She figured advice from a woman who had been married for half a century wasn’t a bad place to start.

“There’s no rulebook, Michelle.”

Before Michelle could ask the woman what she had meant, Peter reappeared through the swinging doors wiping his hands on an old dish rag oblivious to the conversation he had unwittingly interrupted.

“It was that stupid compressor again. I temporarily fixed it with some duct tape, but I’ll have to swing by the hardware store and get you the replacement piece tomorrow.”

Peter finally looked up from his hands and caught Michelle’s eyes. One of his signature easy smiles slowly formed on his face at the sight of her.

Michelle got lost in his eyes and might never have found her way back if she hadn’t heard the sound of a pin clicking reminding her that they were not alone. She looked at Sue who was scribbling something down on a napkin. 

“Whelp, you kids enjoy. I’m going to go catch up on some dishes.” Sue winked at Michelle as she slid the secret napkin message over to her. 

Real subtle, Sue. 

“Thanks, Sue.” Peter said as the woman sauntered off humming along to “How Sweet it is to be Loved by You.”

While Peter was settling into the booth, Michelle discreetly peeked at the note. 

“Tell him. Don’t wait.” 

Michelle blushed and crumpled the note up and then looked back up at Peter trying to look innocent. She felt like the entire universe was conspiring to bring them together. They both reached for the chocolate milkshake at the same time causing their hands to collide. 

“Sorry, I should’ve asked. Would you like the chocolate one?” Peter pushed the milkshake across the table generously. Michelle bit her lip as she considered her options. On one hand, chocolate was absolutely her favorite thing in the world, but on the other, strawberry looked delectable too. 

Peter laughed at her indecision and put two straws in each shake and placed them in the middle of the table. Relieved that she wouldn’t have to choose, Michelle reached for the pink glass and took a huge sip as Peter mirrored her actions with the other. 

“Mmmmmm.” Michelle couldn’t help that satisfied moan from escaping her lips. This was by far the best milkshake she had ever tasted. “So, how did you find this place?”

Peter swallowed his shake and then pushed his glass across the table and pulling hers back effectively switching the flavors in front of them.

“Ben and May used to bring me here anytime I needed to be cheered up. When I first got to them, I was so upset that they couldn’t get me to eat anything. They hadn’t been great cooks to begin with and adding a picky kid to that was a recipe for disaster. Sue was the only person who could get me to eat so for a while we came here every night. Eventually, I cheered up and wasn’t so picky, but Sue has been like family ever since.” 

“How long have you been fixing broken appliances?” Michelle asked curious about how Peter had become so capable at such a young age. 

“After her husband passed away, Ben became her handyman. Sue is as tough as nails and as sharp as a tack and has been running this business on her own for years, but the woman doesn’t have a mechanical bone in her body. Ben would always drag me along whenever something broke insisting that I learn how to fix it. After we lost Ben, I took over the role. It’s the least I can do to repay all of the joy she brought to my patchwork family.” 

“I can see why you keep coming back, this has got to be the best milkshake in the entire universe.” Michelle said appreciatively while using her finger to scoop out a dollop of whip cream, “Whenever my dad got home from business trips, he would always make us chocolate chip pancakes. It didn’t matter if it was two in the afternoon or three in the morning, he would wake me up and we would listen to old music and laugh until our abs hurt.”

“He sounds like a pretty amazing guy.”

“He was.”

So, they sat, and they talked about their happy memories, their favorite books, their definitive superhero rankings, and everything in between while the lights decorating the interior of the shop painted their faces in neon light. They passed the milkshakes between them until they were licking the last of the whip cream from the glasses. Before she knew it, she looked up and saw that it was five in the morning. 

"Peter it's almost morning. Won't May be mad that you were out all night?" 

"No, why would she be? I'm always out this la-" Peter seemed to have caught his mistake halfway through his sentence and quickly tried to cover it. "I always text her when I'm out this late. She's super cool." He popped out of the booth avoiding eye contact with Michelle and she smirked to herself.

Real smooth, Spider-boy.

Michelle winced as she swung her legs to face the end of the bench, she had gotten deep grass burns on her knees when she had collapsed in the park and the blood and dirt had hardened into tight scabs that cracked and bled when she had moved them. Peter looked immediately concerned and knelt down in front of her examining her knees. 

"I'm fine, Peter. It's barely a scratch."

"Stay here."

Michelle watched his retreating form as he went into the kitchen on his unknown mission. 

Ok, breathe Michelle. 

Yes, Peter Parker is intelligent and funny and handsome and yes, he fixes appliances for old ladies and spends his free time risking his life to save innocent people, and yes, his laugh makes butterflies pool in your stomach and holding his hand had felt like pure electricity, but that doesn’t mean you’re in love with him. Sue was probably just trying to cheer you up, he probably is just a super nice guy who looks at everyone that way. 

Her internal conversation was cut short when Peter pulled up a chair in front of her and cleared his throat.

"Uh, I just wanted to clean your knees..." He said shyly as he set down some damp rags on the table beside her.

"I'm fine honestly..."

"I know your fine. But..I....well....i..."

His stuttering combined with the redness staining his face and ears was so endearing that Michelle had mercy on him. She rolled her eyes and motioned toward her knees in ascent. 

"May I?" He asked as he sat in a chair directly in front of her and reached for her right leg. Michelle's mouth had gone dry and so she only nodded. Peter gently lifted her leg to rest angled on his lap and Michelle's entire body broke out in goose bumps. The entire scene felt so strangely intimate. Sure, she knew he was just cleaning her knee but for some reason her heart was pounding out of her chest as his hands gently cleansed the abused flesh. When he was done cleaning away the grass, mud, and blood, he leaned down and blew on the raw skin to dry the access moisture. Michelle stopped breathing. 

Breathe Michelle. Breathe!! 

Peter looked up and smiled shyly as he gently returned the fixed leg to the floor and reached for the other. He repeated the process but this time when he finished he made no move to let go of her leg. They sat there silently for a suspended moment, Michelle's leg in Peter's lap and Peter's hands resting on either side of her skinned knee. Michele knew objectively that this moment shouldn't have been romantic. She was soaked with sweat, probably smelled like the inside of a gym bag, and had literally fallen to pieces in front of this kid a few hours ago. 

But the way Peter was looking at her? She would have sworn she was the most beautiful girl in the world. She felt treasured and precious in a way that she hadn’t felt since she had been a little girl. Warmth spread from his hands and traveled throughout her entire body. He pushed his hand through his hair and smiled at her contentedly as if he hadn’t been able to fully relax until he knew that she was taken care of.

"Let me walk you home." 

Michelle was so lost in his eyes that it took her brain a long moment to reboot and actually process what he had said. Then, for some reason, the connection between her brain and her voice short circuited. Michelle didn't know where this behavior was coming from. She had never been tongue tied in her life. She had literally defused bombs and interrogated terrorists, yet, some nerdy kid touches her knee and she turned into a puddle. 

Get a grip, Michelle! 

Peter grabbed the dishes and returned them to a bin by the kitchen window then he came back over, grabbed both of Michelle’s hands and pulled her to her feet. She kind of liked assertive Peter. It was hot. So, she simply allowed herself to be pulled from the booth and out of the diner. 

They didn't say anything for a few minutes, just walking under the city lights and stealing shy glances at one another. That's one of the things Michelle liked about Peter, he didn't push for information or force awkward small talk. It made Michelle feel comfortable and not like she was being interrogated. She couldn't remember ever feeling this safe with someone and halfway back to her apartment she shocked herself by freely offering an explanation for her behavior when none was requested. 

"My mom died a few years ago....It was sudden... and messy." She took a deep breath so her voice wouldn't crack as she continued. "It destroyed my dad and he kind of took off. I was left alone to deal with it all. He showed up tonight and I guess It all just came flooding back in. I felt trapped. Like the ceiling had caved in on me and I just had to escape, ya know?"

"I'm so sorry you've been alone all this time." 

Michelle met his eyes and saw in them a total understanding that she never knew she needed until she had it. Michelle was terrified. Her heart was opening for this boy and she couldn't stop it. She was falling for this brave, selfless, handsome young man and she had never been more terrified or excited in her life. It felt dangerous and inevitable all at once. She thought about what Sue had said.

Just tell him. 

“This is me.”

They came to a stop in front of the brick step that led into her apartment complex just as the first rays of the sunrise peaked over the sky-line. They just stood there gathering courage and looking at each other while Peter pushed his hand through his hair and Michelle tucked her unruly curls behind her ears.

Michelle Jones was no coward. She could do this.

Just tell him. 

They both started talking at the same time. 

"I really like you, Parker”

"Would you go out with me?" 

They both laughed nervously and accidently talked over each other once again.

“I’d love too.”

“I really like you too.” 

Peter’s answering smile was so big that Michelle's heart stuttered in her chest. She felt so happy and relieved that she was afraid her heart might burst. She panicked at the foreign feeling and punched him in the arm as she started retreating up the steps to her door. Just before pushing inside she glanced behind her to see Peter with his hands in his pockets and that same fond look in his eyes. She couldn’t resist calling over her shoulder.

"Thanks for the milkshake, loser.” 

At Peter’s responding smile, you would have thought she had called him the sweetest endearment in the world. 

Then again, maybe she had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Its so fluffy I could dieeeee." -Despicable Me
> 
> I listened to Marvin Gaye (1965) "How sweet it is to be loved by You" while writing the diner scene. Go check it out. :)
> 
> I also have a head-cannon that John died during the attack on New York in Avengers while saving Sue from a Chitauri scout that broke into their diner. 
> 
> thanks for reading :)


	11. Knock

"I still haven't figured out how to sit across from you and not be madly in love with everything you do."  
-William C. Hannan

Michelle woke up at 11:30 the next morning to a knock on her window. 

Who the hell? 

She rolled over and pulled the pillow over her head, content to ignore the world in favor of her bed. The knock sounded again pulling her reluctantly out of her self-made cocoon. She trudged to the fire escape squinting against the bright sunlight and opened the old window. No one was waiting. She rolled her eyes blaming the stupid pigeons when a swatch of yellow caught her eyes. Looking down she saw a single sunflower with a note tied to it with a hemp string. 

Friday at Seven?  
-Peter Parker

Michelle couldn't stop the huge smile that broke across her face. She had never gotten flowers before, but she immediately decided that these would be her favorite. She looked around but there was no sign of Parker. She immediately texted him unable to stop smiling the entire time she typed.

'See you Friday, nerd.'

*****  
Peter had been across the ally hiding behind the ledge of his building when he saw her smile and read his note. He swore he had never seen anything more beautiful than Michelle Jones with sleepy eyes and the biggest smile he'd ever seen on her face. 

I have a date with Michele Jones. 

He could barely contain his excitement. His whole body tingled with nerves and anticipation about seeing her and there was only one thing he could do. 

Find May and get her to tell him exactly how not to screw this up.

*****

This had been the longest five days of Michelle's life. She had spent the entire week busy volunteering and studying, but the entire time Peter hadn't been far from her mind. Michelle couldn't explain it, but she missed him desperately. She hadn't seen Peter at all and she swore she was having withdraws. It wasn't his fault, if the nightly news reports were anything to go by, he had been one busy spider. 

Michelle started getting ready at five on Friday afternoon. For a girl who typically spent no more time getting ready than it took to slide on some combat boots, she knew she was already in way too deep. She kept getting unreasonably giddy and then chastising herself to keep her expectations low.

What if he kisses me? What if I'm bad at it? What if he's great at it? This is not a Nicholas Sparks movie. Chill. Last week was probably a freak thing. What if we have nothing to talk about? What if I say something about Spider-man and he freaks out? 

Michelle, get a hold yourself. 

She shook her head and laughed at herself. Sixteen years old and going on her first date and Michelle was more nervous than she could ever remember being. It was the good nervous though, the kind that makes your head spin and your belly float. She couldn't shut her mind up long enough to focus on getting ready so she did something she hadn't been able to do in years-she cranked Beyoncé to the loudest setting on her speaker and danced.

Michelle danced all her negativity away and ended up slightly out of breath in front of the mirror at 6:59pm. She couldn't believe how different the girl staring back at her was than the shell she had been at the beginning of Sophmore year. Her hair was longer and curlier now, framing her face. Her mixed skin was now deeply bronzed from all the summer days playing with the kids at the outreach center pool. She had used minimal makeup, just some moisturizer, mascara, and a touch of highlighter while her cheeks had a natural blush from her nerves and her impromptu dance session. But what had really transformed her face was the happiness and hopefulness that Peter had brought into her previously gloomy existence. 

She couldn't wait to see him.

She had opted for a casual outfit because she had no idea what they were doing and her imagination had ranged from black-tie dinner to putt-putt at the arcade. She found a tight v-neck black camisole in the back of a drawer and tucked it into some high rise black jeans finishing off the look with her converse and her ever present star pendant. She was swiping on some clear lip gloss when she heard her phone chime. It was Agent 215-her father. 

"Successful trials imminent. Prepare for intervention."

Talk about a mood killer.

So, Dr. Connors had finally figured out his precious decay rate algorithm. Interesting. She would start strategizing when she got home, but right now? She had a date. 

Or she thought she had a date. 

Michelle sat in a chair at the kitchen table biting her nails anxiously just watching the clock tick by. 

7:10 pm- Was he just running late? 

7:20 pm- Maybe he forgot? 

7:30 pm- Is he standing me up? 

7:40 pm- I should just get undressed. Screw him.

7:50 pm- He hasn't called or texted. Is he alright?

8:00 pm- I'm really hungry. 

8:10 pm- Should I call him?

8:20 pm- I knew it was too good to be true. 

By the time 8:35 rolled around, Michelle had spiraled fully down into her negative thoughts. Her heart valiantly defended Peter, reasoning that he had probably been side tracked by a spider emergency while her brain condemned him saying he probably just didn't want to take her damaged, scarred self on a date-too much baggage. 

She couldn't believe Peter had stood her up without so much as a text. She was hurt but more than that she was disappointed. She had really been looking forward to seeing the dumb dork. 

Just when she had fully sworn him off, determined to erase him from her mind, she heard an anxious knock on the door. 

Peter? 

Her heart cried out in relief while her mind yelled at her not to let him in. 

"MJ? It's Peter. I'm so sorry I'm late. There is no excuse. Please just open the door, I promise I'll make it up to you."

She rushed over to the door but paused with her hand on the door knob. She knew she probably ought to just blow him off and ignore him the rest of the night, but her entire body was humming with the excitement of his proximity. Besides, he probably had a good excuse, right?

She stood there frozen in indecision for a few more moments. Peter must have grown impatient because a second tapping knock sounded from the other side of the door. 

"MJ?"

She could hear him out at the very least. It didn't mean she had to go with him. Michelle gathered her courage and pulled the door open crossing her arms across her chest. Her closed off body language didn't stop her eyes from traveling up and down Peter's body appreciatively. 

Peter looked hot. 

He's was wearing jeans, a short-sleeve black button down, and converse. His hair was damp. as if he had just gotten out of the shower, but it had already begun to curl in that effortless way that made Michelle's heart rate speed up. He was also sporting a fresh black eye. 

So it had been a Spider-Man conflict.

He had a single sunflower in his hand and he extended it to Michelle with a nervous smile.

"Wow....." he said softly, "you look really pretty." Michelle felt her cheeks redden as the compliment washed over her building her confidence and restoring her hope. 

"Thanks. So do you." Apparently, she hadn't brought her brain with her to the door. Peter laughed and she blushed even harder. "I mean not pretty, but uh..."

"You don't think I look pretty?" Peter teased. 

"Oh, shut up."

Michelle pushed her hands into her pockets and dropped her eyes to her toes. If she didn't get a hold of herself, she wasn't going to be able to string more than two syllables together let alone an intelligent sentence. She felt Peter hand lift her chin a moment later and she actually met his eyes. 

"I'm so sorry, MJ. Will you let me try and make it up to you?" He said softly.

Michelle bit her lip and nodded, taking the flower and setting it inside. Nothing in the world would have stopped her for spending more time with Peter Parker. Not even his own tardiness. 

He took her hand at the bottom of the stairs and Michelle met his warm eyes as goosebumps broke out up her arms loving the way the air charged between them. 

"Did you walk here?" She asked curiously when she didn't see a car parked out front. 

"I actually live right across the street. Turns out we're neighbors Jones."

"You're kidding." 

"Nope. That's my window right there." Peter pointed to a window that not only faced Michele's but was also on the same level. 

Of course they were neighbors. Michelle was no longer surprised by the fact that the universe seemed to be playing a huge cosmic joke on her. Her, a teenage spy, inadvertently fell for the only guy in her class who also had a secret identity and fights bad guys in his free time. She just smiled to herself and shook her head, she couldn't resist joking about his tardiness even though in her heart she had forgiven him the moment he knocked. 

"Wow, I can see why you were late. The traffic getting here must have been awful." 

"I deserved that." Peter said with a laugh. "Come on, lets go."

They walked hand in hand to a hole-in-the-wall Thai place a few blocks over. 

"Two please, Leon." Peter indicated when they walked inside. 

"May won't be joining you tonight?" The waiter asked Peter hopefully. 

"Nope, not this time." Peter said and rolled his eyes at Michelle behind the overly friendly waiter's back as they were led to their seats. 

She chuckled realizing that Peter must begrudgingly have to put up with people hitting on his gorgeous aunt all the time. 

She had ordered take out from this place often over the last year, but the food had never tasted better. Their conversation picked right up where they had left it the night before. They talked about everything. Peter asked really good questions and Michelle found herself talking passionately in a way that she hadn't been able to do in years. Most of the boys Peter's age could only hold an interesting conversation for 10 minutes before they got bored or distracted by a hot chick or a sports game. Peter on the other hand was thoughtful and wise beyond his years but balanced that with an mischievous sense of humor and an infectious optimism about the world. 

Michelle felt like she had just met her best friend. Maybe it was because they both had secret identities and spent their free time helping people or maybe it was how much loss they had both experienced in their young lives, but to Michelle it felt like she finally fit somewhere. Like she had been the missing piece of a puzzle, separated from everyone around her and then Peter had found her and showed her where she belonged. With him. 

They didn't agree on everything, they even passionately debated about a few topics but at the end they somehow managed to respect each other even more. Michelle had never felt so comfortable around another human being and they fell so quickly into a beautiful rhythm that Michelle hadn't even realized how much time had passed until Leon had begun closing down the restaurant around them. 

Peter pulled her out of her seat and started dragging her down the street. She loved the way that he took her hand as if they had been doing this for years.

"Where are you taking me now, Parker? 

"It's a surprise."

"I hate surprises."

"You'll like this one. Trust me."

So she did. Even when he started pulling her up his very high apartment building via the fire escapes. When they finally made it to the top, the roof was pitch black.

"Geez, is this where you kill me and hide the body, Parker?"

"Ha. Ha. Very funny." He said dryly. "Give me one second....I know it's over here.....somewhere...."

*click* 

Michelle gasped as the roof was suddenly bathed in subtle warm light. There was a glass paned green house with its door stood open and the entire roof was covered in green foliage. Michelle stepped forward into the lush space to get a closer look. There were thousands of white twinkly lights strung across the roof creating a canopy of counterfeit stars. In the middle of the glass house, there was a nest of mismatched blankets and pillows facing a sheet on the wall opposite an old projector. The roof inside and outside the green house was blanketed in hundreds of plants and vines and flowers. She immediately recognized the sunflowers she had received. It was like she had been teleported out of the city and into an enchanted garden. 

"Did you?"

"Do you like it?" He asked hopefully while taking Michelle's hand. 

"I love it. But how..." Peter pushed a hand through his curls as he looked around fondly at the space getting a far away look in his eyes.

"Ben woke me up at the crack of dawn one day and made me help him move all these pots and build each of the shelves. It took us an entire weekend to plant all these things and string up the lights, but seeing how May's face lit up made it totally worth it. It just kept growing and growing over time until it became all of this. She hasn't been able to come up here since he..." Peter swallowed thickly and Michelle squeezed his hand in encouragement. "I take care of it now so that's its ready when she is. It's where I come when I want to be close to him, I swear sometimes when the winds just right I can hear his laugh echo off the walls." Michelle observed silently as Peter returned from his memories. 

"Sorry, I know I must sound crazy." Peter finished with a self conscious chuckle. Michelle squeezed his hand.

"I don't think that's crazy at all."

Michelle walked into the green house taking in all of the different shapes and colors of potted plants. 

"So he did all of this just to make her smile? He must've been totally gone over her." Michelle stated in slight disbelief. 

"I can relate." Peter said under his breath. 

"Me too." Michelle whispered softly.

Peter smiled at her so widely that Michelle had to look away for her heart's sake. She was in way too deep for how fragile this entire arrangement was. She was hiding a huge part of her life from him and she knew he was doing the same. There was still a very high probability that this would blow up in her face. 

She was sidetracked from her pessimistic thoughts when Peter led her to the blankets and showed her the selection of old films from the school library. They settled into the nest and started watching an old black and white film that neither one of them was really paying attention to, far too distracted by the electricity charging the space between them. Peter stretched dramatically and let his arm fall across her shoulder and she relaxed into his side. 

Very smooth, bug-boy.

They both kept sneaking glances at the other when they weren't looking, lost in the bewitching magic of their fledgling love. Every touch still sparked goosebumps and every laugh felt like a revelation. Every time their eyes would accidentally meet, both inevitably having failed at being stealthy, she felt her battered heart contract. 

Maybe I can fall in love. Just this once.

Michelle had been trying to catch-up on the plot of the film that she had for the most part been ignoring, when she felt Peter's watch vibrate. His entire body tensed as he read off the unseen message. Peter glanced at Michelle with a torn expression furrowing his brow.

"You alright?" Michelle asked curiously. 

"Uh, yeah." Peter tried to settle back in but his foot had begun tapping incessantly. Michelle gave him three seconds before he would cave and go answer the call to whatever emergency awaited. 

Three...

Two....

"You know what? I totally forgot to pick up eggs for May. She will kill me if I don't go grab those."

Michelle barely restrained herself from laughing at his ridiculous excuse. He was too predictable. How he had managed to keep the Spider-Man secret this long was a complete mystery.

"I'm gonna go grab those it should only take a few minutes. Can you wait here?" 

"Yeah, of course." 

"Awesome." Peter had fled over the fire escape before she could blink. 

Michelle shook her head. As great as dating a super hero could be, it definitely had its draw backs. 

Heart of gold: check.  
Lots of muscles: check.  
Constant interruptions: check, check, check. 

She guessed she would need to get used to being the other woman to Spider-Man's love affair with New York City. It was a sacrifice she could live with. 

She pulled out her phone and hacked the local police dispatch center to see what had pulled her spider away. Apartment fire with trapped civilians. 

Go get em, Spidey.

She took the free time to catch up on the reports the SHIELD analysts had sent her. Dr. Conners was closer than ever to completing the serum and human trials were imminent. That serum couldn't be allowed to be weaponized. Human-enhancement may be the future of defense but it's far to dangerous a power to have floating around the black market. Any day now she could get the call to infiltrate Oscorp and destroy Dr. Conners' research. She had no reservations about taking down Osborn. Her hands-off recon over the summer had revealed that Osborn had his hands in every type of nefarious business from drugs to weapons and everything in between. Only he had done such an excellent job of distancing himself from the dealings, the federal law enforcement agencies had no idea that the so called scientist and philanthropist was a kingpin in the importation of every type of evil in the city. Any lingering hopes she had that Osborn might be responsible enough to possess the power of a super soldier serum were definitively crushed. Even though the ends desperately outweighed the means, she would still regret hurting one of Peter's friends. Even more so, she would regret having to lie to him about it. 

She got lost in analyzing and strategizing and before she knew it, Peter was clambering back over the fire escape slightly out of breath. She had been leaning over the edge of the building staring out over the city lights when he arrived. She looked over her shoulder and couldn't resist poking fun at his half-scrambled excuse. 

"Egg crisis averted?" Michelle asked innocently. When he didn't immediately respond, she turned and saw that same awed look on his face that he always seemed to get around her. He shook his head and cleared his throat when he suddenly must have realized how long it was taking him to respond. 

"Yep, and I brought chocolate." Peter pulled a pack of peanut M&M's out of his back pocket as he crossed the roof to Michelle. 

"Oh, you really do know the way to my heart." She had said it lightly without thinking but they both understood the double meaning as it settled over them. 

"Thank you for being patient with me." Peter said as he came and stood next to her looking out into the city lights. "I want to be able to give you an explanation, but there are things about me that I just can't explain yet." 

She could see his brain working double time trying to decide if he should tell her or not. She understood his hesitation, revealing your secret identity always felt great for the person getting it off their chest, but it became a burden for whoever they shared it with. It could also put the recipients life in danger. She was familiar with his apparent inner turmoils because she felt the exact same way. Although she had made an oath that she would never reveal her identity to someone outside the agency, it didn't mean she didn't want to. 

Michelle knew Peter wouldn't make this decision lightly, she had learned that when it came to the people left in his life he was protective to a fault. She was still just ecstatic to be one of those people.

Peter looked deep in thought then he turned to Michelle and pulled her to face him. His expression was serious and it made Michelle a little nervous. 

"I want you to know that I want to be here with you. Earlier when I was late and just now, I had to go but I didn't want to."

Michelle's heart was beating loudly in her chest. He just told her he wanted to be with her outright. Did he feel it too? Did he feel the strange magnetism constantly pulling her soul towards his?

"I always want to be with you too."

She shocked herself by so freely admitting her feelings. She felt out of control of her own heart. Even as her mind fought every feeling, doubted every word, and resisted every touch the very molecules that made her up pulled her ever closer to her long lost match.

There was a moment when Michelle knew in her bones that Peter was going to kiss her. They were looking in each other's eyes and her own trailed down to his lips. Her body felt like it was on fire, she was aware of every single sensation. Her heart had sped up to an alarming rate and it was all she could hear in her ears. Even though she wanted to kiss him more than she could remember wanting anything else she still hesitated. He leaned even closer so that their faces were only inches apart, both moving so slowly that the moment seemed to drag on forever. 

Just as Peter's lips were about to brush hers, Michelle panicked and leaned back. It felt too important. It felt like an unknown precipice that she couldn't come back from. Her scarred heart wouldn't let her make that leap yet. She knew she couldn't explain that to Peter adequately so naturally, she panicked. 

She swiped the candy out of his hand and fled back down to the nest of blankets. She had torn into the bag and popped one into her mouth before Peter had even computed her abrupt retreat. 

"Hey! Get back here you thief!" Peter teased as he collapsed down next to her immediately letting his arm fall cross her shoulders. She thought it might have been awkward, but it wasn't. They fell automatically back into the ancient rhythm of two souls who were falling in love, just Peter and Michelle. 

They settled back into their spots cuddling up and restarting the movie on the projector, content to pretend that the interaction had never happened. Michelle didn't mention to Peter that he smelled like the inside of a stove or that he had soot on his ear. She was more than willing to wait patiently for the day he was ready to tell her everything.

Peter had his arm around Michelle's shoulders absentmindedly rubbing circles into her exposed skin. She loved how he always seemed to be touching her as if he needed the constant reassurance that she was real. Michelle was still nervous to touch him having no experience with it, but she eventually built the courage to place her hand on his knee. It was perfect.

They finished two more movies curled up like that. Peter only left two more times with each excuse becoming less believable. 

So she sat, battling the constantly dueling feelings of being perfectly safe and happy but undeniably terrified as her heart helplessly plummeted towards the point of no return.


	12. Lizard

"She's a badass with a good heart, soft but strong.  
unapologetic and honest.  
she's the type of woman you go to war beside,  
she's the type of woman you marry..."  
-R. H. Sin 

 

Michelle was warm. 

Too warm. 

Michelle was always freezing cold when she woke up, but today she was warm.

The first thing she became truly aware of was the feeling of a strong pair of arms wrapped around her torso. She could feel the morning dew settled on her skin and hear the quiet chirping of the early birds. She snuggled deeper into her human blanket feeling more content than she could ever remember. 

Wait?

Early birds? 

Morning dew? 

Strong arms?!?!? 

What the fu--

Michelle's eyes flew open as reality crashed through her foggy brain. 

It's morning. 

They had fallen asleep on the roof. 

Peter Parker is spooning me right now. 

Shit. shit. shit.

What time was it? 

May was going to kill them. 

She began trying to gently extricate herself from Peter's arms, but he simply mumbled something unintelligible and nuzzled his head deeper into Michelle's neck as his arms clamped even tighter around her waist.

Damn. Why was he so strong?

"Peter. Wake up. We need to go." 

"Hmmm. Fovvvvmonnnminnutttss." His mumbled reply was lost in her hair. 

Damn. He was cute in the morning. 

Michelle would give anything to lie here for five more minutes with the cuddly loser. But she had to go, and she was willing to bet that as cool as May was, staying out all night with a girl and not checking in fell under the 'you're so grounded' category. Just a hunch. Michelle looked up to see the first light of the sunrise begin peeking through the skyline. 

"Dammit, Peter. Wake up!" Michelle said more forcefully as she elbowed him in the ribs. 

"Ow! What the hell, Michelle?" He complained happily as he leaned up on his elbow and slowly blinked his sleepy puppy dog eyes down at Michelle. 

Damn. Peter with sleepy eyes is the hottest thing I've ever seen. 

Understanding dawned in his eyes and he gasped, 

"Michelle!?!? Oh shit." He said with a resigned chuckle. "I'm so dead" Michelle started laughing too and it was a few minutes before they got their laughter under control again.

It was only then that the two of them realized they still had the entirety of their bodies pressed up against one another, their legs tangled, and their faces inches apart. In an instant, they were frozen in place by the strange magic that was always pulling the very atoms that made them up together. Michelle's entire body tingled with the strange electricity that jumped and reacted wherever it touched his body. Peter's eyes traveled down to her lips and he swallowed nervously. Michelle's eyes made the same journey. Their only movement was from their own slightly accelerated breathing. She couldn't stand the building tension and leaned in so that their lips were only a hair’s width apart. Then Peter's entire body tensed.

The sound of a massive explosion filled the air around them. 

Both of their heads snapped in the direction of downtown and a moment later they heard multiple sirens cut on. Peter's eyes got wide and they both scrambled to their feet. They could clearly see Oscorp tower with smoke coming out of side.

"I'm really sorry, Michelle, I have to go." 

"It's all good, I have to get to--" 

Before she could finish, Peter grabbed her face on either side and kissed her firmly on the forehead. They stood like that for the space of three breaths. Michelle had wrapped her hands around Peter's wrists holding him in place already addicted to the feeling of being held by him. Peter released his hold, winked at her, and sprinted with his backpack to the edge of the building leaping over without a second’s hesitation.

If Michelle hadn't already known he was Spider-man, this would have been some pretty alarming behavior. Even knowing, she rushed to the edge of the building and looked down into the alley to find it completely empty. Michelle smiled to herself.

Go get em' Tiger. 

Her stomach was filled with happy butterflies and a small smile grew on her face. Peter Parker kissed me on the forehead. She felt like she was floating with the excitement of all of the new feelings, that is until a single text message brought her crashing back down to earth. 

'Report to Oscorp immediately. Agent compromised. Requesting back-up.'

Michelle's lovestruck brain finally began to power up as the reality that a massive explosion had ripped through the side of the building where her dad worked settled in.

She snapped into action. Michelle summoned her automated motorcycle to her location, sprinted to the fire escape, and began scaling down the side of the building at a breakneck pace. 

She had to get to Oscorp. Her dad wouldn't have risked her blowing her cover unless he had no other option. 

Hang on dad, I'm on my way. 

Michelle jumped over the edge of the last cast iron platform and rolled out of the twelve-foot drop just as her motorcycle came screeching down the alley. She swung her leg over the seat, engaged the clutch, and sped off toward the smoking skyscraper. 

Michelle couldn't deny it was good to be back in action. Crisis was an old friend to Michelle Jones, she thrived where others crumbled. 

The adrenaline coursed through her veins as she sped at ninety miles per hour, weaving around the early morning traffic. The wind whipped her hair around her face, the angry car horns pierced her ears, and the brimming sunrise illuminated the world as it peaked through the skyscrapers of New York City, but Michelle felt only an eerie sense of calm as she hurtled toward Oscorp.

Soon, Michelle was screeching to a halt in the basement parking garage below the smoking skyscraper. Red emergency lights flashed around the abandoned garage and loud automated voices urged any remaining employees to evacuate the premises. Michelle opened the under-seat compartment and grabbed her tactical vest, crossed two electromagnetic batons onto her back, shoved two loaded handguns in the holsters on either side of her chest, and grabbed a grappling gun Fitz had made her for good measure. She had always wanted to use that one. When she had donned her tactical gear, she headed toward the large door in the corner and snuck stealthily into the stairwell. 

She estimated the explosions to be between the fortieth and fiftieth floor. She knew from her briefing last year that the forty-second floor housed the private laboratories of Dr. Connors, the foremost leading scientist on cross-species genetics in the world. She had a sneaking suspicion that he was the source of the explosion-although, how serum development could cause an explosion of that magnitude, she did not yet know. 

She mentally added mad scientist to the list of things she loathed entirely.

She pushed the miniature com into her ear and tapped it twice to connect it to SHIELD mission operations.

"Agent 2-1-7 on site at Oscorp. In route to hot spot. Over."

"Roger that 2-1-7. Eyes up." 

Michelle cleared the stairwell then extended Fitz's grappling gun straight up the middle of the spiraling stairs and fired. She felt the grapple engage around the railing and then held on with both hands as she was pulled up level by level. 

So much better than running up forty flights of stairs. 

She landed softly in a crouch outside the door to the fortieth floor, grabbed both her pistols, shot out the override lock on the door, and began to clear the floor.

"Floor forty clear. No civilians or hostiles located. Source of the explosion still unknown."

Michelle was about to com in that the forty-first floor was clear as well, when she heard a bone chilling roar and several crashes from somewhere above her. The only thing Michelle could think of as a reference for the noise was the sound of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. 

Perfect. Now there were dinosaurs. Why was it never as simple as some black-market explosives anymore? 

"Be advised. Non-human threat in play. Floor forty-one clear." 

Michelle made her way up the smokey stairwell to the forty-second floor where the door to the lab had been completely blown off. The fire suppression system had almost entirely subdued the fire, leaving behind only smoking rubble and the eerie creaking of damaged support beams. The lights on Michelle's pistols reflected in the thick steam as she cleared offices one by one. Fortunately, it was still early which meant most of the building had been empty prior to the explosions. Michelle was relieved she hadn't spotted a single casualty yet. 

She came into the main lab where she saw giant barrels of gases that had been sliced open by what appeared to be three parallel claw marks. She wasn’t looking forward to meeting whatever could do that type of damage to reinforced metal containers with one swipe.

"Source of explosion appears to be ignited gas. No additional explosives in play."

Michelle knew from the blueprints that Dr. Connors private laboratory was housed behind the titanium door that was currently folded in half and looked like it had been thrown across the main laboratory. She continued to hear crashes and roars from above, but a bone deep instinct pulled her towards the private lab. 

All of the lights had been taken out in the explosions, so Michelle slowly advanced through the smoky darkness. The only light in the entire room was coming from the fountain of sparks pouring from damaged wiring in the ceiling. She heard a squish under her boot and directed one of her handguns towards the ground.

The small beam of light illuminated a giant puddle of blood seeping from a man who was missing both legs. A cold sweat broke out down her back as her brain processed the atrocity in front of her. 

Michelle redirected her pistols around the lab to reveal slaughtered bodies that appeared to have been slashed apart by the same monster who had destroyed the gas tanks. She worked quickly around the room checking for pulses in the lab technicians.

"Located eight casualties. No survivors."

As Michelle was about to cross back through the main lab to the stairwell to hunt the source of the ominous footfalls from above, the ceiling gave way dropping rubble and dust all around her. As the airborne debris cleared, Michelle made out a massive form in front of her. The sound of the beast's sinister snarling breaths filled the air around her. 

Michelle could hardly believe her eyes. Only her years of rigorous training kept her rooted in her defensive position, while her instincts were screaming at her to run. The massive lizard man stood roughly ten feet tall and while it had no distinctly human features, other than standing on two legs, MJ got the impression that this was an intelligent being and not some random overgrown sewer snake. Michelle and the beast stood perfectly still for the space of a few apprehensive breaths. The beast cocked its head a few degrees to the right and inhaled slowly, as if it could smell if MJ was a threat or not. 

Then it attacked. 

The giant beast swung one clawed hand directly at MJ, who rolled deftly to the side and released both clips of bullets into the beasts scaled belly. Unfortunately for MJ, the bullets seemed to only anger the monster, not injure him, and he charged her. MJ threw both empty handguns to the side and reached for the batons crossed behind her back. 

She worked him over trying every combination of attack she could think of without managing to do anything more than distract him momentarily from trying to decapitate her. She began to tire, and the enhanced hostile capitalized on her fatigue. 

His clawed hand connected with Michelle's torso launching her twenty feet across the lab with one angry swipe. Michelle crashed through two panes of glass that had been separating off containment areas. Her body had so much momentum that it rolled several times before slamming into the wall on the far side of the lab.

Well that sucked. 

Lizard: One 

MJ: Zero

MJ's eyes teared up as the world blurred, and white noise rang deafeningly through her ears. She could sense the monster stalking her, but she couldn't make herself move purposefully having been stunned by the impact. One hideously clawed foot came into view, and the snarling beast reared back to deliver one final deathly blow.

I can't believe I'm about to be killed by a freaking liza....

"Yo Godzilla, hands off the pretty lady." 

Spider-man webbed both the beast’s arms and pulled him across the lab directly into a kick that made the beasts head hit the ground with a sickening thud. The lizard appeared to be stunned momentarily and Michelle took the opportunity to try and not puke everywhere. 

Yep, definitely got a concussion. 

Peter took one step toward her and his white spidey eyes dilated. 

Whelp, there goes my cover. 

"Michelle? What the hell are you doing? Get out of here now!"

Peter jumped at the last second as the beast charged him again. He leapt towards the ceiling narrowly missing the three giant claws as they swung at his head. Having missed his intended target, the beast tore forward charging Michelle where she was still snared to the ground in pain. 

Just as the beast got his second chance to rip Michelle in half, Peter webbed him and slung him through a giant hole in the side of the building leaping out after it. Michelle would have gone in pursuit if she hadn't been having trouble actually getting air in and out of her lungs. 

Yep, definitely broke a few ribs too. 

MJ managed to get to a sitting position and lean her back against the wall. She wrapped her hand around the long chunk of glass wedged in her upper thigh and pulled it out while biting her lip to restrain a scream. She was trying to slow her breathing and heart rate and regain her composure when she saw a bloodied hand sticking out from behind an overturned table. She wasn't sure how, but she knew intuitively that the hand belonged to her father. MJ crawled over the glass and rubble toward the prone body while chanting to herself. 

Don't be dead. Don't be dead. Don't be dead.

She felt for a pulse and after a few moments felt the faint fluttering beat of her father’s heart. She rolled him over and nearly passed out at the sight of the gushing claw marks transecting his torso. 

"I-i-i need an extraction team to the forty-second floor of the building. Agent J-Jones has sustained l-l-l-life threatening injuries. Prep medical for imminent arrival."

Michelle's hand shook as she placed pressure over the area that looked the deepest, but blood continued to seep ominously through her fingers. 

She couldn't breathe. 

This couldn't be happening. She couldn't lose her father too. Not when she hadn't told him that she loved him. That she had forgiven him.

Daddy! 

In the distant part of her mind, she could hear the cacophony of sounds coming from Spider-man and the lizard fighting on the side of the building, but she couldn't even react. She just held pressure helplessly to her father’s gushing chest. He was too pale. He was losing too much blood. 

Please, God no. Not him too. 

Daddy? 

"Stay with me. Stay with me daddy. I love you. I love you. Daddy!!!?!?"

*****

Peter was reeling.

First off, that freaking lizard-man hybrid had almost skewered him multiple times and even though it had escaped through the sewers, Peter had a distinct feeling that it would be back as soon as its wounds healed up. Peter hadn't faired too well against the enhanced beast and wasn't exactly feeling up for round two. He winced as he shot a web pulling him in the direction of Queens. His back had taken the brunt of a clawed swing and it had been so deep that not even his accelerated healing factor could seem to clot the oozing wound. 

Secondly, Michelle Freaking Jones had shown up wielding tactical batons and had faced the thing down like she was Captain Fucking America. Peter will never forget how gutted he was when he realized the body that the lizard had launched across the room was his girlfriends. He was unbelievably proud of her, but he was also pissed as hell that she put herself in danger. 

Who the hell was she? 

Had she been on a mission for SHEILD this entire time? 

Could he trust her?

When he finally lost the grumpy alligator, he had rushed back to Oscorp to make sure she was ok-only to find that she had disappeared, leaving behind only shell casings and smears of blood for clues. 

Talk about a rough morning. 

Peter swung home quickly needing to change and find answers as soon as possible. He climbed in his bedroom clinging to the roof when he heard Ned playing his Nintendo Switch on his bed. 

"Ned we have got to talk about boundaries." He said as he dropped down into his room.

"No, Peter. What we have got to talk about is that you had a date with MJ and you never called your 'Guy in the Chair' to debrief."

"As you might have seen on the news, I've been a little busy."

"So, how was it." Ned asked excitedly ignoring Peter's extremely valid excuse. 

"Honestly, it kinda sucked. That thing was so freaking strong, and I got my ass handed to me then I chased him into the most disgusting sewers ever and still lost him."

"No, not the giant dinosaur who ripped Oscorp in half. The date, Peter. How was the date?"

"Your concern for me is heartwarming." Peter said dryly as he stripped off his mask. Ned just rolled his eyes and waved for him to continue. 

"Dude, she's perfect. We talked about everything. She's funny, like super funny and so down to earth and so intelligent and passionate and strong and compassionate and beautiful."

"So, she didn't just glare at you the whole time?" Peter had pulled off his smelly suit and was pulling on a pair of jeans as he recounted his magical evening with Michelle. 

"No man. I'm telling you after that night in the park it's like she is a totally different person. Sure she's still a little closed off and guarded, but somehow she's so easy to talk to at the same time. I can't explain it. It's like I've known her my whole life. We just click, ya know?" Peter had pulled out his first aid supplies that he kept in Ben's old tool box and was placing gauze down to soak up the continuously accumulating blood.

"So, did you kiss her?"

"No, but I almost did. We held hands the whole night and this morning I kissed her on the forehead."

"This morning?!" Ned exclaimed in shock. Peter pulled a long sleeved black t-shirt gingerly over his abused torso covering the newly forming bruises and already soaked gauze.

"We may or may not have fallen asleep in The Nest. We kind of spooned all night."

"What? Way to bury the lead! How?!"

"I don't know. One second we were laying there watching a movie and I was thinking about how perfect it felt to be with her and then the next thing I know she's elbowing me in the ribs and it's five thirty in the morning."

"Dude, what did May say?" By this point, Ned was anxiously pacing trying to take in all of the new developments in the Peter-MJ saga.

"Uh, I actually haven't called her yet. Oh and in other news, I'm like 97% sure that MJ knows I'm Spider-Man."

"What? How?!"

"I don't know man, but she is way too freaking smart to have actually been buying my horrible excuses last night."

"You really do have the worst excuses."

"Yeah, yeah. So, I've been told." Having finished dressing himself, Peter pulled out his phone and began texting Tony.

"So, what now? Are you guys like boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Uh, yeah. I mean basically." Peter said while shrugging his shoulders with a shy smirk. "I don't know though, it feels bigger than that. It feels more important than just a relationship status. I can't explain it, man, it's like when I'm with her everything just settles. I've always felt like their is way to much input from the world coming at me to process, but when I’m with her everything comes into focus. Ned, I think I'm falling for her."

"Woah, you've got it bad man. I'm surprised you were even able to string two sentences together."

"Your lack of faith wounds me, Leads." Peter said sarcastically as he pulled on his converse with a wince.

"Wait, where are you going?"

Peter really wanted to tell Ned about Michelle’s secret identity. He told Ned everything. But he knew it wasn’t his secret to tell and he wouldn’t betray her- even if he had no idea how they stood after this morning. 

"I have to go see Tony. There was a, um, new development with the dinosaur and it needs his specific expertise. Also, I need him to fix the giant tear in my suit before I end up inadvertently streaking through Midtown.”

"Oh, ok." Ned said dejectedly. 

"Don't worry, you're still my guy in the chair. But unless you can suddenly hack SHIELD's personnel files, I'm going to need Friday's processing capacity."

"You want to hack SHIELD?!?"

"I'll explain later. I promise. Lock the door on your way out and if you see May tell her I'm fine."

"But you're not fine, Peter. I've never seen you bleed like this."

"Tony will fix me up. See ya, Ned." He was already out the door by the time he finished his sentence.

The entire trip upstate to the Avenger’s facility, Peter worried incessantly about Michelle. He had seen the SHIELD emblem on the buckle on her tactical vest but that was all he had to go on. She had been badly hurt, and even though he really wanted to know why she showed up to Oscorp like a freaking action-movie hero, he really just wanted to find her and make sure she was alright. Not knowing was like having a car sitting on his chest. He couldn’t breathe until he saw her in one piece. 

When he arrived at the Avenger’s facility, he immediately went to the research and development floors following the sound of rock music and the smell of black coffee. He found Tony quickly. 

"It's The Amazing Spiderling! Great job in Jurassic Park this morning, although fighting the dinosaur down the side of Oscorp in broad daylight was a little dramatic. On second thought, I hate that guy so please be sure to cause maximum damage next time you're fighting a lizard in his tower."

"Really. You're calling me dramatic?" Peter winced as he set his backpack down and pulled out his suit.

"Listen I couldn't be prouder of your attention seeking ways, I love the spotlight more than Dolly Parton on a stage in Nashville. All I'm saying is that Senator Ross is watching, and I don't want him to find where you hang your leotard."

"It's your tech, Stark. You chose to make it skin tight."

"How many times do I have to explain that for optimum aerodynamics-"

"Yeah, yeah. You had to eliminate drag, I know. I'm going to need a patch job on the fly, boss."

"For you or the suit?" Tony picked up the suit examining the tear through the technology reinforced material. 

"For the suit, I'm fine." 

"You're bleeding all over my workstation, but sure lets go with 'fine'." Tony said flatly while he started welding the fiberoptic interfacing on the suit. "Don't you typically do the patching yourself? What gives?"

"Tony, I didn't come here for me. I need your help finding someone. I think she's in trouble." 

"Ok. I'll play along. What's her name?"

"Michelle Jones."

"As in the 'I've never felt this way in my life-she's so beautiful' Michelle, that you couldn't shut up about all summer?"

"Ugh, you're the worst. Yes, that Michelle." Peter was getting frustrated. Normally he lived for these verbal sparring matches with his reluctant mentor but as time went on he became more and more concerned for Michelle. He had called her at least eight times and hadn't received so much as an emoji in response. 

"Wow, so how was the big date?"

"It was amazing, except for the part when she got knocked around by a super enhanced dinosaur. Do you mind?" Peter said irritably indicating the digital keyboard.

"Alright, Spider-Boy. What do you want to know?" 

Peter thought about that for a minute. He didn't want to invade her privacy, but he was dying to know who the hell she was. He knew he ought to let her explain, because if it were him, he would want the chance to explain his own secret identity. But he had to find her, he was about to lose his mind with the anxiety of thinking she was somewhere hurt and alone or worse.

"Just tell me how to find her."


	13. Agent

“She wears strength and darkness equally well,  
the girl has always been half goddess, half hell.”  
-Nikita Gill

Michelle sat numbly as Dr. Anderson examined her and bandaged her wounds. She had been in this same position hundreds of times growing up. She had always loved the foul-mouthed doctor even when she was being scolded for her reckless escapades. Michelle had spent a lot of time on the doctor's exam table throughout her life, it was one of the few constants that she had had growing up. Lucinda Anderson was a leather skinned, white haired bad-ass who had spent thirty years as a field surgeon with the Navy Seals and retired to work with SHEILD. She was as tough as nails and didn't take crap from anyone, but she also knew when to wrap Michelle in her generously tattooed arms without a word.

Not today though, today MJ couldn't even look the woman in her eyes, otherwise, she would break the silent agreement she had with herself to never breakdown in front of her childhood hero. They had taken her father immediately to emergency surgery and all she could do was wait helplessly. So, she sat perfectly still with her eyes blurred at nothing and prayed silently that just this once, everything would be ok.

"Four broken ribs, one nasty concussion, one sprained ankle, thirty stitches, and too many lacerations and contusions to count. All and all, Agent Jones, you were very lucky."

I don't feel very lucky. I feel like I got my ass kicked by a freaking dinosaur.

"You're going to have to rest. No field work for at least a month and no reading for hours at a time. I don't care how fucking revolutionary the author is. Your brain and your ribs need to heal and the only thing that helps is time and rest. No bull shit, MJ." When Michelle didn't respond the doctor added, "That's an order, Jones."

"Understood, doc."

Michelle didn't give two shits what the doctor said. If her father died because of some lab experiment that was organized and funded by Oscorp, she wouldn't stop until the entire company was burned to the ground and Norman Osborn had lost everything. Broken ribs or not.

"Don't think I don't know that you are planning on disregarding my orders as we speak." The doctor said with a sad and knowing smile. Her tone took a more somber tone. "Seriously, Michelle. If you go out there like this, you will end up dead and I don't want that shit on my conscience."

"Are we done?" Michelle responded blankly. The doctor's brow furrows slightly at her cool tone.

"Yes, agent. You are dismissed."

*****

Doctor Anderson watched the beautiful young agent limp from her exam room. It broke her heart to see MJ like this. She had been bandaging Michelle up since she had been three years old. She had been there for every scraped knee, broken arm, and black eye. The doctor had arrived at SHIELD thirteen years ago as a shell of her former self after losing her entire unit and the love of her life to a suicide bomber. Lucinda didn't get along with many people and she hadn’t wanted too. She was a woman who had lost too much. Everyone saw the ghosts in her eyes and steered clear.

Not MJ though. The little curly haired monster had followed Lucinda around like a shadow clinging to her scrub pants until the doctor finally reluctantly gave her piggy back rides around the clinic. The pair had been bonded ever since. They were kindred spirits and they had made the perfect team in the med bay. Lucinda was all brutal honesty and tough love and Michelle had been healing laughter and hope personified. Michelle had saved Lucinda's life and restored what the brutal toll of war had stolen from her: Joy. It broke what was left of Dr. Anderson's shattered heart to not be able to do the same for Michelle after her traitorous bitch of a mother had nearly murdered her own fucking daughter.

That tragedy had changed Michelle profoundly, but Lucinda saw what many others couldn’t. Even though Michelle put on a calloused front to the world, she was still the most generous, compassionate, honorable, and hopeful person Lucinda had ever met. Michelle had just been petrified to show it, so she buried it behind layers and layers of impenetrable walls, fearful that the world would try to destroy her again. Lucinda could see it because she felt fundamentally the same underneath her gruff exterior.

That was why she hadn't been able to make herself tell Michelle her father's bleak prognosis right away. She didn’t want to be the one to smother that last twinkling sliver of light that Michelle had only recently reclaimed.

Dr. Anderson shook her head sadly as she sent another unanswered message to Dr. Simmons and prayed silently for a miracle that experience had taught her not to believe in.

*****

Michelle tried not to wince as she pushed off the exam table and made her way to the surgical bay, but her entire body felt like it had been run over by a truck.

Everything hurt.

She eased herself down the wall until her bruised butt hit the cool tile in the bleak hallway outside the operating room. She let her head fall back against the white wall and closed her eyes. She could hear the faint reassuring beeps in the distance and grimaced as the sterile smell of bleach permeated her nose.

She hated that smell. It brought back memories that she wasn’t ready to re-live.

All the recollections of her time in recovery after her mother had tried to murder her came rushing back. She remembered thinking that she would never feel safe or happy again. That her face might have broken if she had smiled. She was still so pissed at her dad for abandoning her, in many ways he had been dead to her since the day he walked out of her hospital room. But this was different.

Deep down she knew he had loved her fiercely, he had just been too broken to put Michelle back together while trying to do the same for himself. It had been painful realizing that her hero was just as flawed as everyone else. If she was honest, she had forgiven him the moment he showed up in her apartment last week, she had just been too prideful to admit it. As if admitting she wanted him back in her life still, made her weak when in reality letting go of her grudge had only strengthened her. 

Stupid. 

She knew from experience that she could never count on a tomorrow. 

Tomorrows were a luxury in this line of work.

She felt a rush of air as the door to the deserted hallway opened. Michelle tipped her head forward and opened her eyes to find Nick Fury marching determinedly towards her. His dark skin and black trench coat contrasted dramatically with the sterile white hallway making him look like the literal personification of bad news. 

She was briefly transported through a hand full of memories. Nick carrying her on his shoulders when she had busted her knee. Nick explaining why her parents had missed yet another birthday. Nick bringing her a new book each time he came back from an off base assignment. Nick Fury had been a constant presence in her life, at her highest of highs and at her lowest of lows. Always pushing her to be better, faster, smarter. It seemed fitting that he would be here now as her heart began to darken once more.

"Your father is out of surgery. Doctor Anderson was just updated by the trauma surgeons and is waiting to brief you on the nature of his injuries when you are ready. "

Michelle could only nod as silent tears fell down her cheeks without permission.

When had she started crying?

Cut that shit out, Michelle. It doesn’t solve anything.

"Preliminary reports reveal that the creature was actually a human-lizard hybrid. The subject is believed to be Dr. Conners himself. NYPD and SHIELD Agents lost track of him when he fled into the sewers. I've got a team on it, but there have been no signs of the doctor yet."

Michelle stayed frozen, staring at nothing. The only sign of her inner turmoil was the trails of salt water tracing down her cheeks.

"Your father believed that Dr. Connors was truly just a pawn in a much larger scheme. So, while he did know about the serums imminent completion, he chose not to shut it down right away in hopes that Osborn's true intent would be revealed. We know Osborn had been trying to recreate the super soldier serum for years but over the last year he has become increasingly unstable. Whatever his ultimate goal, Osborn has spent millions in the development of the serum and killed countless people to keep the project a secret."

Michelle still sat as still as a statue taking calm painful breaths listening to Fury summarize information that she already knew.

Get to the point, Fury.

Michelle wasn't remotely surprised by what the one-eyed-man said next.

"Michelle, I need you to pick up where Agent Jones left off. You're the only other active field agent who has the clearance and experience to take down Osborn. We wiped all the security footage at Oscorp, no one knows you were there. We have secured you an internship in one of the upper level laboratories and you'll be briefed on the scientific research and be given a crash course in cross-species and artificial enhancement genetics tomorrow. We also need you to press into Harry and try to determine Norman's motivation. It's possible the young man knows more than he is letting on."

"Two people know I was there director. My cover may already be blown." Michelle said robotically as she easily detached into agent mode.

"Our intel suggests Spider-man is a friendly, even if we haven't officially confirmed his identity just yet. We know he acted in your defense. That's enough for now."

"And Dr. Connors?"

"I seriously doubt that man will be showing up to the office in his condition. Obviously, you will need time to be briefed and time to heal but the sooner we get eyes inside Oscorp the better. Our intel suggests that Osborn is already flying in a new player to pick up the research where Dr. Connors left off. Recon on Harry should begin immediately. Do you accept your mission, agent?"

"Do I have a choice, director?" Michelle replied, squarely meeting his gaze and letting her latent bitterness seep through her words.

Nick Fury crossed the final distance between them and crouched in front of Michelle placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Michelle, you always have a choice. That being said, I've known you since before you were born. There isn't a single other agent I would trust with this mission. I know you're angry. This job has already taken too much from you. But if Oscorp isn't stopped and the serum is completed and weaponized, the consequences could be catastrophic. We will be responsible for those consequences if we don't act."

Michelle broke the eye contact and shrugged the directors calloused hand off her shoulder. She didn't want his comfort. She didn’t want to feel good. She wanted to feel every ounce of pain and every drop of anger. She wanted to catch on fire and use it to cauterize her bleeding heart and incinerate anyone who stood in her way.

"Understood."

****  
The director sighed tiredly as he strode toward the helicopter waiting on standby. He knew this was a risk. Pushing Michelle into this mission, this soon, could destroy her or get her killed. 

He was shaking his head trying to clear the dark thoughts that had entered his mind when he heard his name sound loudly from the end of the hanger corridor. 

"Nick!" He turned to see Lucy walking purposefully toward him with an angry scowl on her face. This couldn't end well. He'd faced a lot of terrifying things in his life, but an angry Dr. Anderson was one of the few things that still caused sweat to break out across his brow.

"Tell me you didn't just assign her to this opp." Lucinda's eyes were filled with frustration and worry. 

"She is the best optio-" His sentence was cut short by Lucy's hand connecting sharply across his cheek. 

"How dare you. I knew you were a selfish bastard, but this takes the cake. You have taken everything from that girl and now your going to risk what's left of her humanity. You stole her youth, her freedom, her family. You stole her life because she had precious potential. For what, Nick? For another big win? She won't survive this." 

"She can handle it. We both know she can." 

"At what cost? She's hurting and angry and terrified. She is not in the right frame of mind to take this on. This would be revenge. She's going to make decisions that she can't come back from. You and I both know that if you send her in, we will never get her back." 

"She's not ours Lucy. She's an agent." 

"Bullshit. We have watched that girl grow up. We were the one's who helped her ride her first bike when her parents were out on missions. We bandaged her knees when she fell in training. We held her when she had nightmares in the barracks. She came back to us after SHIELD fell and her family betrayed her. She's as much ours as anyones. I know you love her like a daughter, because I do to. Please don't do this." 

"She already accepted the mission, Lucy. There's no one else I can trust to get this done. The Avengers are scattered across the globe, half of the existing SHIELD agents are in hiding, and the other half are working on the threat in the backyard of our galaxy. Our intelligence network is still crippled, and Senator Ross is knocking down my door demanding the identities of every hero we've ever worked with. She's the only option." 

The pair of surrogate guardians stood with their war-weary eyes boring into each-other in the shadows of hundreds of Quinjet's allowing this new reality to settle over them. 

"This is on you, Fury. Her corruption and her death will be on your hands." Lucy tone was resigned and cold, but she had to turn and stride away from him to hide angrily wiping away the tears that had escaped her eyes. 

Nick knew that every word she had said was true. 

He had taken one look at Michelle's aptitude scores and decided then and there that she would be the future of SHIELD. He never could have predicted the tragedy that would stain her life, but ultimately it had worked to his advantage. She was stronger than ever, even knowing how much potential she had, he never could have predicted her success. She had made becoming an elite tactical agent in the most advanced agency on the globe look as easy as passing the GED. 

She could have been anything in the world, but he had systematically manipulated her into believing she was meant to be an agent. 

That was his job. 

He curated talent and put it through crucibles until it became something exceptional. It's what he had done with the Avenger's and that had worked out for this little vulnerable blue planet. 

He just prayed he was doing the right thing. 

He prayed somehow she would survive this with her humanity intact. 

He prayed that one day she would forgive him for everything he put her through in the name of global security.

*****

Michelle was jolted out of a tormented dream to the sound of her phone vibrating against the barren white tile of the hallway.

Ouch, shouldn't have fallen asleep sitting against a wall.

Michelle groaned as she stretched her sore body toward her phone. She had just picked up the phone when the call rolled over to her voicemail. She almost dropped the phone and went back to sleep, when something on the screen caught her eye.

Twenty-seven missed calls from Peter Parker.

Oh shit. This was going to be difficult to explain.

She played the most recent voicemail.

"Michelle, its Peter. I don't know what the hell is going on and I don't care. I just need to know you are ok. Call me back."

He was using his assertive tone, but it didn't stop his voice from cracking when he said her name. Michelle couldn't help the sad smile that formed on her lips. Leave it to Peter Parker to be the one bright spot in this horrifying day. She would give anything to curl up in the safety of his arms right now.

Too bad she would have to ruin their fragile arrangement to complete her mission.

She had been naive to believe this wouldn't blow up in her face like everything else she touched. She had wanted to be selfish for one minute. To have one real thing that wasn't tainted by the agency or her tragic past. She should have known better.

It was one in the morning and Michelle knew she was doing no one any good turning into a statue outside her father’s room. It was time to face reality.

She forced her aching body to stand and snuck into the room where her father laid in between a desolate cemetery of beeping machines and alarming pumps. Dr. Anderson had briefed her on her father’s condition before she had passed out in the hallway from shear exhaustion. The damage to his thoracic cavity had been so extensive that they had to place him on Extracorporeal Membranous Oxygenation or ECMO as the surgeons had called it. Michelle was no doctor but from her basic medic training and her long history of shadowing Dr. Anderson around the ICU, she knew that all of her father’s vital functions were being artificially generated from outside his body.

In other words, he was already technically dead.

When she first laid eyes on him her mind almost couldn't compute that the ashen man in front of her was her father. He had lines and leads connected to nearly every surface of his battered body, including two large tubes coming directly out of his chest. Helplessness and despair led to a hasty angst to start her mission, but she forced herself to approach his side.

Dr. Anderson had once told a family that hearing was the last function to go and that many patients in comas could remember hearing the voices of their loved ones. She had no idea if that was true or just something medical professionals said to give helpless families a small sense of control. 

There was so much she wanted to say to him that it almost seemed futile to try. Despite her reservations, she gently leaned over to whisper in his burned ear.

"I love you. Please, come back to me."

She sat next to his bed and gently cradled his bandaged hand in her own and prayed hopefully even as her mind spiraled into bleak disrepair.

The longer she sat beside her father’s bed the more fury bubbled up from the ocean of bitterness she kept hidden in the recesses of her heart. Barely restrained rage hemorrhaged out of her soul like waves battering the coast line during a storm. Unable to remain still under the onslaught of darkness, she stood, wiped the tears from her eyes, and forced herself to release her father’s hand.

Norman Osborn would burn for this.

She strode toward the garage stripping off her newly found feelings with each step. She didn't even hesitate as she swung her leg over the seat of her motorcycle and engaged the clutch.

Michelle knew if she was going to take down Oscorp she would have to be 100% focused, which meant she couldn't have her thoughts drifting toward a curly haired nerd every third second.

SHIELD needed a numb, efficient, and deadly operative.

They needed Agent 217.

They didn’t need Michelle Jones.

Michelle Jones would have to be buried and so would her feelings for Peter Parker.

She would end the fledgling relationship and then destroy Norman Osborn's empire brick by brick.

She sped out of the base allowing the wind to wick the tears off her face as she forcibly shut down her heart allowing only anger to remain.


	14. Storm

“Appreciate the moment of a first kiss,  
it may be the last time you own your heart.”  
-R. M. Drake

The sky had opened up around Michelle as if it was the literal personification of her mood while she hurtled towards her apartment. Thunder woke the peaceful night with its cacophony of angry shouts. Lightning split the black skyline in pieces as it charged inevitably towards the ground. Rain pelted down soaking the world with its relentless flood leaving no inch of land untouched. 

Michelle let her tears be washed away by the falling torrent while he heart was torn in half.

She so desperately wanted to tempt fate and welcome Peter into her twisted and dangerous world, but she also wanted him to be happy and safe and as far from the fallout as possible. 

She was falling in love with him, but she couldn't force Peter into her world thoughtlessly just so that she wouldn’t have to face this threat alone. Sure, he could swing around taunting and webbing up baddies all day, but corporate espionage, intentional sabotage, and good old-fashioned revenge were part of a completely different ballgame and Norman Osborn wasn’t going to go down quietly.

By the time her tires screeched around the final corner to her apartment, Michelle had formulated a plan. She would tell Peter whatever was necessary to make him never want to see her face again. Sure, it would make getting the in with Harry a little more challenging, but what the hell. Michelle Jones loved a challenge.

The only real challenge was going to be not falling all over him the moment she saw his stupid handsome face. 

As if her thoughts were strong enough to manifest him, that handsome loser dropped out of the sky directly in front of her speeding motorcycle. Michelle slammed on the breaks so hard it caused her rear tire to leave the ground and she was suspended in the air for a gut-wrenching moment. Once both her tires were back on the ground, Michelle glared up through the sheets of raindrops into the blank pair of white eyes. 

“Do you mind?” She spat out angrily staring into the mask of her favorite super hero. Her traitorous heart leapt with joy the moment she had seen him, but her mind was furious with him for showing up without warning. She had had a plan. She was going to shower and change and then face Peter on her own terms, not accidentally nearly run him over and have to wing spinning the biggest web of lies she had ever attempted. 

They were squared off in the alley as the rain poured over them creating a deafening curtain of white noise around them. She wasn’t sure what to do. She couldn’t make her mouth move. She was simply frozen. Trapped inside the magnetic pull of Peter’s presence desperate to escape before her heart shattered inside of her chest.

Peter surprised her by moving first. He took his gloved hand to the back of his neck and pulled off his mask, revealing his angry chocolate-brown eyes. 

Michelle had known Peter was Spider-Man for months now, but to see the literal proof of it while her mind was already a hurricane of emotions, threw her even further off balance. 

A large part of her wished he had just kept the mask on. She wasn’t sure she would be able to do what she needed to while looking into her favorite pair of eyes on the planet.

“Where have you been? I looked everywhere for you!” Peter yelled at her accusingly and Michelle’s breath caught at his impassioned statement. 

Had he really been searching for her the entire time she was at headquarters? 

It doesn’t matter, Michelle. 

Her mind was screaming at her to end this before she got too deep while her heart knew she was already scuba diving in her feelings for the soaking wet dweeb. 

Then she thought about her dad, about Norman Osborn, and about all of the lives that had already been taken to feed that man’s hunger for power. The anger that boiled in her soul gave her the courage to launch into the most ridiculous lie she had ever told.

"Peter, I'm not who you thought I was. I was lying to you and using you for intel. There is no us and there never was. It was all an act and now that you know the truth there is no reason for us to keep up this charade.” Peter had crossed his arms over his chest during her speech and was glaring at her with an expression that she couldn’t quite place.

“So, it’s over? Just like that?” He asked daring her to disagree.

“Yes. It’s over. So, you either forget what you saw today and go back to your nerdy pathetic existence, or I'll tell the world that Peter Parker is Spider-Man."

Michelle felt like the worst piece of scum on the planet when the first flash of hurt and betrayal shone in Peter’s eyes. Neither one looked away and even with the weight of her words hanging over them, the inevitable electricity began to spark between them. As if to punctuate the growing tension, lightning flashed a short distance away and deep grumbling thunder rolled over their silent duel of wills. 

Michelle wished she would be struck by lightning, she imagined it had to be significantly less painful than looking her favorite person in the eye as she stabbed him in the back. She had to get out of here before she took it all back and begged him to forgive her. She squinted through the rain and gripped her handle bars preparing to reverse out of the alley when she heard his voice over the incessant splattering. 

"Bull shit."

Michelle's mouth dropped open in shock and her head snapped up at Peter's unexpected outburst. 

"Excuse me?" 

Peter strode up beside her motorcycle so that he was no longer blocking her path but was instead firmly planted in her personal space. Even though she was still straddling the seat, he leaned in so that they were practically breathing each other's air daring each other to fold with equally matched glares. Michelle’s breath caught in her lungs when his eyes traveled down to her lips and he smirked knowingly as he repeated himself with added enunciation. 

"Bull. Shit." 

Anger and frustration boiled up from within Michelle. 

She knew she was the one being the asshole in this scenario but how dare he not be the least bit upset with her breaking off their.... whatever this was. 

He didn't even believe her lies. 

She was a great liar!!! 

Why wasn't he buying it? 

Her mind panicked even as she felt her body betraying her.

"Look, I don't know if you’re having some kind of Tourette's episode or if you’re actually too dumb to get it through your thick skull. But it wasn’t real, it was an act. I faked every single interaction and I own your ass, Parker. If I were you, I would be a little more concerned about the damag..."

Her fictitious monologue was abruptly cut short by Peter's lips crashing into hers. A moment later she felt his hands grab both sides of her face and his fingers curl into her soaked hair effectively capturing her in place. Time was suspended as Michelle’s entire body blazed with feelings that she hadn’t even known were possible. Her eyelids fluttered closed, goosebumps covered her skin, butterflies danced around her stomach, and her heart pounded against her rib cage.

After the initial aggression, Peters lips softened and molded perfectly to Michelle's as she sat completely still just kissing him back.

A moment later, Peter pulled back and met her hazy eyes. Michelle knew that she ought to push him away, slap him, and never speak to him again. Instead, her double-crossing heart kept her rooted to her spot desperate for just one more kiss before she went. 

"You can't fake that Agent 2-1-7," He said smugly, "and I'm not going to be that easy to get rid of."

Michelle's brain was still focused on the whole 'Peter Parker just kissed me and holy shit, it was amazing' thing, so it took her a beat longer than normal to process what he had just said to her. 

Should I be able to feel my lips?  
Peter Parker knows my codename!!?  
Where did this loser learn to kiss a girl senseless?  
Wait, why am I jealous all the sudden?  
Should I be able to feel my toes?  
For the love of Thor, focus!!!

"What did you just call me?" Michelle responded a bit breathlessly. 

"My girlfriend shows up in the middle of my fight with a petri-dish dinosaur like a total badass wielding fucking electromagnetic batons and you don't think I would have Stark run a background check?" Peter raised his eyebrow in question as his hands continued to cradle her head and his thumbs played across her chin.

Girlfriend?  
Did he just call me his girlfriend?  
Of course, that's the only part you heard, you hormonal sap!  
Focus on your blown cover please!  
You can’t do this.  
You have a mission.  
Think about your father.  
Osborn has to pay.

She placed both of her hands on his chest and pushed him back swinging her leg over the motorcycle to stand. She squared her shoulders, lifted her chin, and tried to end their relationship once again.

“Peter, you need to let me go.” Michelle forced herself to take two steps backwards hoping it would ease the insane magnetic pull she felt towards him. It didn’t.

“Why are you pushing me away. Michelle, whatever it is, I can help you.” Peter took a step towards her and she took another one back shaking her head.

“You can’t come where I’m heading. This has to end.”

“Says who?” 

Michelle groaned with frustration. 

Why couldn’t he just let her go?

“Says me!” She yelled back across the rain.

“Well, I disagree.” Peter had crossed his arms stubbornly across his chest and Michelle threw her hands up in the air in defeat. 

“You don’t even know what my mission is, how could you possibly commit to coming with me.” Michelle paced away from him running her hands through her hair in frustration. She had planned on retreating into her apartment, when she felt a sticky substance connect with her wrist and tug her forcefully. A moment later she had been spun back into Peter’s arm and had her hands pressed to his pecks. 

“Did you just web me?” Michelle asked in shocked indignation. 

“Stop running away from me and I won’t have to.” Peter half yelled the statement at her as he held her fast in his arms letting their mutual frustration simmer.

“Ugh, you are intolerable! Let. Me. Go.” Michelle punctuated every word by pounding her fists against his chest. He didn’t even flinch.

“No!” Peter yelled back easily keeping her struggling form caged to his body. The emotional toll of the day was finally catching up to Michelle and her entire body deflated in his arms.

“Why won’t you just let me go?” She whispered in defeat while looking down at her toes and letting a few rogue tears mingle with the rain already falling down her cheeks. “I promise you I’m not worth the trouble.” 

“Because, I want you!” Peter grabbed her face on either side and forced her eyes to meet his own, not liking her defeated body language, “and even if you come with all the trouble in the world, I’d still want you!” 

“You don’t mean that, Peter.” Michelle said dejectedly.

“Yes, I do. I’m not some random boy and you’re not just any girl. This is bigger than that, I know you feel it too. Please, just give me a chance to prove that we can do this. That whatever the odds stacked against us, we can beat them. Together.” 

When she didn’t respond Peter placed his lips against her forehead. All of the previous frustration had left his voice and he whispered against her skin.

“I just found you. I’m not letting you go.” Michelle tipped her head back to look in his eyes. When she had made the plan to remove Peter from her life, she hadn’t factored in that he would object. As it would turn out, he was as bull-headedly stubborn as she was, and she hadn't factored that into her calculations. 

She closed her eyes and for one moment shut out all of the voices demanding her attention in her clouded mind. In the silence, she finally allowed herself to feel exactly how right it was to be in his arms. It was more than endorphins from their kiss or the electricity that sparked between them, she felt at home. Like her soul could finally take a breath because it had found its other half. Like the very atoms that composed her could finally stop chaotically searching the universe for a place to rest, because they had found it in his arms.

Michelle looked up into his big chocolate brown eyes and felt the moment her fate was sealed.

“Promise you won’t let go?” 

Peter’s face broke out into a huge smile and he was kissing her before she could even blink. Her own body reacted on instinct and she crushed him to herself. She returned his passionate kiss with equal fervor getting lost in the sensation of his lips on her own. Much to her abused rib’s complaint, Peter picked her up and spun them around all while keeping their mouths sealed together. 

It was strange how she could go from never having kissed anyone in her life to feeling like she would die the moment she stopped. Her hands were buried in his soaked curls and she could taste the rain in his mouth. A delicious heat pooled in her abdomen as he desperately clutched her body to his own. With every brush of his soft lips against hers, she felt another piece of her heart surrender helplessly to his loving assault. 

This would ruin her. 

But even knowing she would never recover from this love, couldn’t have stopped her from kissing him under the down pouring sky as thunder sounded all around their entangled forms.

They only pulled apart when their need for air became slightly greater than their need for each other’s lips and even that had been an argument with their souls. 

They looked into each other’s eyes as they caught their breath and felt as the strange pull that had been constantly yanking them towards one another finally settled in a contented hum all around them. The emotions that had gathered in Michelle’s heart had become deafening and she buried her face into his neck out of self-preservation fearful that if she continued to look into his eyes she might combust. 

With her head tucked into his neck and their arms wrapped tightly around each other, she asked the question that was suddenly nagging at her lovestruck brain.

"Are you mad at me for lying to you?” Peter forced her head up so that he could look into her eyes by the dim light of the moon that shone through the clouds.

“That would be relatively hypocritical of me, considering I’m standing in front of you in red spandex.” Peter said with a smirk. “But you already knew I was Spider-man, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, you kind of suck at secret identities.”

“Maybe you could give me some tips?” Peter teased as he rubbed their noses together in a feather light Eskimo kiss while he used his thumbs to wipe the rain off her cheeks. 

Michelle’s body shivered from the sensation of Peter’s hands on her face. Peter must have thought she was cold because he took his hands and began rubbing them up and down her back while letting their foreheads rest against one another. She internally laughed that he thought she could be cold when her entire body was pressed up against his. She was more likely to catch on fire than to catch a chill.

“What do we do now?” Michelle asked terrified of the decision her heart was making even has her soul rejoiced. 

“How about we talk?” Peter recommended with a reassuring smile.

Michelle could only nod and bite her lip as she looked toward the continuously crying sky. 

“Do you think we could go inside first? It’s kind of a long story.”

Peter wrapped one arm around her waist keeping her flush against him and then shot a web that connected to the highest fire escape on the side of his building.

“Hold on tight.” He smirked when she jolted with surprise as the web began retracting and pulling them both off the ground towards the roof. She looked down at the retreating ground and then back up into his smiling eyes and laughed. 

Ok, so she could admit that dating Spider-man was pretty freaking cool.

“Show off.” She rolled her eyes at him. His smile only got wider.

Once her feet were firmly back on solid ground she let him take her hand and lead them over to the glass sanctuary. She thought it was funny how after only one night this had become her favorite place in the world, then again maybe it had more to do with the company than the location. 

Stepping out of the rain was a relief and it allowed Michelle to catch her bearings and calm her scattered nerves. That had definitely not gone as planned. Peter stepped away to plug in the lights and Michelle felt the cold settle in around her as soon as he left her side. 

"Holy shit." She was standing in the nest of pillows they had left the night before, when she heard his whispered epithet. Michelle wasn't exactly sure how she looked but she knew it couldn't be good. He stopped in front of her and put his hands gently on her bruised and battered face. He pushed her unruly dripping curls out of the way, so he could fully examine her. She wasn’t used to the attention and quickly tried to brush off his concern.

"I'm okay, honestly. It's just a concussion....and a few broken ribs...and a few scrapes and bruises...." 

"MJ."

The way he said her name made her pause her nervous explanation and meet his eyes. His face was painted with worry but behind that a deep understanding shown through his eyes. Of course, he understood. 

How many times had she watched Spider-Man get the crap beaten out of him to save the day only to suit up and do it all again? 

With the soft light, Michelle noticed that he had taken a beating too, although to be fair, he still looked as devastatingly handsome as ever. Her hands reached to hold his face in an exact mirror of his own position. The whole right side of his face had already healing yellow bruises while a pink scar that bisected his left eyebrow was already fading from view. She was about to comment on his own appearance when Peter leaned forward and placed the softest of kisses to her bruised forehead, then to her black eye, to her flushed cheeks, and to her cut lip for good measure. 

Whelp, that just became my favorite thing in the world.

God, please don't let me loose him too.

"I know y-y-you need answers, b-b-but I’m not sure where to start." Her teeth chattered as she plopped down into the fray of blankets and pillows and the chill from her rain-soaked clothes finally reached her. She was lost in thought, unsure how to communicate the disaster of a life that had led her to this moment. Unsure how to communicate what she had been ordered to do.

"How about the beginning?" Peter said as he wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and then sat down behind her pulling her against his chest and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. He seemed to intuitively understand that she wouldn't make it through this if she had to look him in the eye the entire time. She took a deep breath gathering her courage and then began.

She had thought that it would be difficult to get the entire story out, but she should have known better. Talking to Peter was easier than talking to herself. She explained everything from her recruitment, to her family’s betrayal, all the way to her assignment at Midtown, and her father’s condition. The entire time Peter listened quietly kissing her head softly and rubbing reassuring circles up and down her arms. They were silent for a few minutes after she finished, content to just hold each other and listen to the rain pound down on the glass roof above them. 

“Why do you do it?” Peter broke the silence. 

Michelle had to stop and really think about the answer. No one had ever asked her that before. She felt like she had always been an agent. She didn’t ever remember choosing it. It was just who she was.

“Because I’m good at it. Because it’s all I have ever known. Because if I can save even just one family from the pain that organizations like Hydra cause, then maybe it wouldn’t have all been for nothing. Because the agency is the only home I have. Because without them… I would be alone.” 

“You wouldn’t be alone.” Peter said as he kissed her head softly squeezing her gently in his arms. Michelle’s eyes pricked with tears at his statement. Her soul sighed knowing that he was telling the truth while her pessimistic thoughts argued that he wouldn’t be there once he saw the hunger for revenge simmering in her heart. 

As the silence dragged on, Michelle’s demons began to poke at her peace filling her head with doubts. Even as she sat cocooned in his arms, she began to get anxious that she had scared him away with her bleak past. In an effort to distract herself, she began to think about all the questions she had been dying to ask him over the last few months. She eventually turned her torso and head to meet his eyes allowing her curiosity to win out. His body was fully present, but his eyes had looked a million miles away, no doubt processing all of the information she had just dumped on him. 

"So, are you an alien or did the whole web slinging thing just hit you at puberty?"

Peter let out a short burst of laughter and shook his head as he rearranged her back to their previous position and resumed rubbing soothing patterns up and down her arms. 

“You’ve been saving that one for a while, haven’t you?” Peter asked and even though she couldn’t see it, she could hear the smile in his voice. She was relieved that they could still tease one another even when the climate was so serious.

“Maybe.” She said as her own smile spread across her face.

"Believe it or not, I was bitten by a radioactive spider on a school field trip."

At Michelle's skeptical snort, Peter recounted his own origin story. How his parents had been scientists and how Aunt May and Uncle Ben had taken him in after their deaths. How he had been bitten and all about Tony Stark and his weekend in the Avengers. 

“Why do you do it?” Michelle asked mirroring his earlier question.

Peter was silent for a moment and then seemed to sigh in resignation.

"Because the one time I didn’t use my powers when I could have, I lost Ben. I lost him because of my own irresponsibility and I won’t ever let that happen again.”

Michelle understood that statement all too well. She carried a deep-seated guilt, like her father did, that they hadn't seen the signs of her mother’s duplicity earlier. She couldn’t imagine how many lives could have been saved if they had stopped Hydra before the Helicarrier incident.

She had to stop stalling. She hadn’t shared the most important part of the story with Peter. The part where her mission had only just begun. The part where she was about to take on a multi-billion-dollar corporation and cripple its research division with little consideration for the fallout. The part where her mission would harm his best friend. The part where she had anger in her heart and she wouldn’t stop until she had had her vengeance.

Michelle took a deep breath and gathered her courage and then she dropped the bombshell that she was sure would destroy the fragile homeostasis they had formed in the lush rooftop oasis.

"Peter, I’m not going to stop until Oscorp has burned to the ground.”


	15. Match

“He’s more myself than I am.  
Whatever our souls are made of,  
His and mine are the same.”  
-Emily Bronte

Thunder continued to sound ominously in the distance as the storm raged around their small cocoon. Peter thought it was fitting because his own head was a hurricane of shifting thoughts and emotions. 

The primary emotion was joy. He had never been more content than with Michelle Freaking Jones pressed up against him finally showing him her soul. But that transparency had led to anger at her mother and father for betraying and abandoning her. Then sadness that she had been alone all this time. Then amazement at her unyielding strength and awe at her fierce beauty. Then giddy excitement when he realized that he could kiss her whenever he wanted-and that's pretty much all he wanted from now on. Then anger again when he realized what Norman Osborn had been doing with his own parent’s research in his back yard. It was the same rage that he felt when he thought about his parents abandoning him and then dying, and the same fury that overtook him when he thought about the low life who robbed Aunt May of the love of her life. He kept this dark side of himself so well hidden under humor and genuine good intentions, that sometimes he forgot it was there himself.

He saw it in Michelle too, another way that their souls seemed to match perfectly. But one of them would have to remain in control of their darker intentions and if her last impassioned statement was anything to go by, that responsibility would fall on him. Peter knew he would do anything to protect her, even if it meant protecting her from herself or putting her back together after she lost herself in this mission. Under no circumstance could he let Michelle do this alone. If he had any say in the matter, she would never have to face any battle alone ever again.

He knew now without a doubt what he had only guessed at before. 

Michelle Jones was his soul mate. 

The moment he had been faced with losing her he had become almost irrationally angry that she would try to leave him behind. There was no version of this story where he didn't end up with MJ and he made sure she knew it. He was so gone over her that he was surprised he had even been able to speak. She was his equal and his better in so many ways and she inspired him to be the best version of himself all while being so unbelievably sexy that he thought he was going to combust. His heart was still pounding out of his chest from how insanely intense kissing her had been. He'd like to chalk the out-of-body experience up to his heightened spider senses, but he was pretty confident it had been her that had so thoroughly blown his mind. Long story short, Peter Parker wouldn’t be letting go of Michelle Jones any time soon, which also meant he had to figure out how to help her.

While he fully appreciated that she was an elite-level agent with years of the best training and a total bad ass, he also knew she wasn’t super-human which made him feel personally responsible for her safety. 

He didn't want to betray Harry, but if all the evidence was true, Peter couldn't allow Oscorp to complete and distribute the serum. The world had enough evil without maniacal enhanced species tormenting the public.

It was a moot point. In reality, his decision had been made the moment she had looked into his eyes and asked him to never let go.

"When do we start?"

*****

Michelle didn't believe her ears at first, so she turned until she was on her knees and sitting on her feet facing Peter. His face was totally serious. Michelle had come up to this rooftop expecting to lose her only real friend and the man she was falling in love with but instead Peter Parker surprised her again and became an ally. 

"You're not going to try and stop me? What about Harry?" She asked skeptically, still not accepting that this conversation could be going this smoothly. 

The other shoe had to drop, it always did.

"I figure you're going to do it anyway, you might as well have back up. Besides, I can't exactly let crazy ass hybrid dinosaurs start taking over the neighborhood. They'd take my leotard."

He tried and failed to keep a straight face as Michelle stared back at him seriously. Then they both burst out laughing and Michelle launched herself at him, toppling them over with a giant bear hug. 

"Speaking of the leotard...was that a style choice or...?" Michelle asked jokingly.

"If Tony Stark made you a personalized suit with all the latest tech would you question it?"

"Fair enough, Bug-Boy."

He pulled a mock offended face and said seriously, “Take that back."

"Or what? You'll wound me with your super-human ballet skills?"

She regretted that quip a moment later when he started tickling her mercilessly. She tried to roll away, but he rolled with her and ended up on top of her. He was too fast and too strong and no matter what she did she couldn't escape his stupid tickling fingers. She was laughing so hard tears began to roll down her cheeks and she finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Ok....ok...I take it back....I'm sorry.... ow, Pete...stop!!"

He stopped tickling her immediately and a worried look crossed his face, but Michelle continued to laugh hysterically despite her rib’s express complaints. 

She couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed like this

Peter had sat up and had begun looking her over, seemingly terrified that he had actually hurt her. Michelle sat up and grabbed his face and brought his eyes back to hers. 

“Peter. I’m fine. I promise, I’m tougher than I look.”

“But I hurt you. I’m so sorry.” Peter looked devastated as his hand came gently up to cradle her face.

“You didn’t hurt me, Peter. The dinosaur hurt me when he slapped me across the room like a piñata. You just made me laugh harder than I have in years. Never apologize for that.” A dark cloud had fallen over his features.

“Michelle, I’ve never…my powers…I could hurt you if I’m not careful.”

“Then we’ll be careful.” She said with a smile as she began kissing along his jaw trying to coax him back from whatever dark place his mind had just traveled to. He sat there perfectly still with a scowl on his face until Michelle changed tactics and peppered kisses all over his face and nibbled his pouting lips. Peter couldn’t not respond. He tangled his hands into her hair and held her in place effectively ceasing her assault as a reluctant smile returned to his lips.

“You drive me crazy, you know that?” He said seriously with a look in his eye that told her he loved it. Michelle bit her lip and looked down uncomfortable with the attention even while it made her confidence soar.

"Beautiful." was all he said before he leaned down and placed the gentlest kiss on her lips. For a moment the kiss was innocent and almost chaste. Just the meeting of lips of two kids who absolutely adored one another and where navigating the uncharted territory of each other’s hearts. But, soon they were lost in the conflagration that seemed to burn around them whenever they got too close. 

She wrapped her hands around his shoulders and pulled him back down on top of her relishing the feel of his weight on her own even as her sore body protested. Just as her hands had begun to trail down his back she felt a persistent vibration from his wrist. 

“Ignore it.” 

Peter said the words into her neck as he placed a trail of feather light kisses from her ear to her collar bone. Her stomach filled with molten heat at the new sensation and her heart began to hammer against her chest. Her body felt like an exposed nerve, jumping and reacting wherever his hands touched. Every sensation was new and exciting and a little dangerous. She tilted her head back to give him more room for his distracting ministrations and let her eyes flutter closed losing herself in the strange magic of their connection. When she had almost forgotten the interruption entirely, the buzzing started up again.

“Do you need to get that?” Michelle asked breathlessly.

“Probably.” He had spoken the word against her skin without pausing his delicious assault. He had kissed his way back up to her lips and she lost herself in the exploration of her favorite human on the planet. 

Kissing Peter had just skyrocketed to the top of her favorite ways to pass the time.

Would it always feel like this?

Would she survive it, if it did?

“I should get you home.” Peter said against her lips after a few more minutes had passed. 

“Probably.” Michelle responded. Neither one made any move to leave preferring instead to continue their discovery of each other’s mouths. 

Michelle was in flames. She felt like he was everywhere all at once, lighting miniature fires everywhere he touched and kissed. She felt almost out of control with how badly she wanted to feel every inch of his skin and she cursed his Spidey suit for not allowing her any access. All they were doing was kissing but it somehow felt like so much more.

Just as Peter’s hand ventured underneath the back of her shirt where it had ridden up, his wrist began to vibrate again. He groaned and buried his head in her neck before sitting up to respond to whatever was demanding his attention. 

“Karen, you have the worst timing.” Peter muttered grumpily under his breath. 

“Who the hell is Karen?” Michelle sat up as a fissure of insecurity cracked through her endorphin laden haze.

“She’s my suit’s AI.” Peter said while sorting through what appeared to be police dispatches and missed calls that had appeared on a holographic screen shining out from his web shooter. 

“Should I be jealous, or…?” Michelle asked teasingly having been relieved to know that it was only a robot that was competing for Parker’s attention. 

“You’re hilarious.” He said dryly. “But that was May. She’s freaking out because I haven’t been home in over twenty-four hours.”

“That’s understandable.” Michelle felt a pang in her heart when she remembered that no one would be calling to check on her. 

"So, what's a girl got to do to get a web home?" She asked cheekily as Peter hopped to his feet.

"What's a boy got to do to get a ride on that motorcycle?" He said matching her smile as he pulled her up effortlessly. 

"How about a kis-"

Peter was kissing her before she even finished the sentence. Michelle giggled into his mouth but stopped just as quickly when she heard a throat clear from behind Peter. 

Aunt May stood with her arms crossed in the doorway with an expression that made even Michelle shrink. 

"May!!!" Peter exclaimed as he jumped back about three feet. 

Real subtle, Bug-Boy.

“W-w-what are you doing here?” Peter asked as he nervously scratched the back of his head. 

“Karen told me where to find you. Apparently, it’s part of a feature called the Baby-Monitor Protocol. She automatically sends me your location after you have ignored twenty of my phone calls. Remind me to thank Tony next time I see him.”

Peter had turned bright red and muttered grumpily under his breath. 

“Thanks a lot, Karen.” 

“You’re welcome, Peter.” Apparently, Karen hadn’t quite mastered the subtleties of Peter’s sarcasm. 

Michelle wanted to laugh at the way Peter shrunk under May’s answering glare, but she found herself equally intimidated by all of the ‘angry aunt’ energy that was pouring out of her.

"Peter Parker. Your ass is so grounded. We had a deal. You get to be Spider-Boy only if you check in after the fight is over. It's been hours since that lizard thing ripped a hole in Oscorp and beat the crap out of you. Don't try to lie either, you were hurt I saw the bloody gauze all over your room and you didn't call!! And now you’re with a girl at 2:30 in the morning after staying out with her all night!!! I don't care if she is the most beautiful and amazing girl in the world. You know better Peter. You're getting a box of condoms and a repeat of the sex talk as soon as I’m finished yelling at you for letting me worry all day that you were lying dead in the sewers of New York!!”

Halfway through May’s tirade, Michelle had begun backing silently out of the green house feeling like an unnecessary voyeur to a clearly sensitive family issue. She also didn’t want to stick around for the ‘sex talk’ portion. Avoiding that awkward right of passage was the one fringe benefit of having absentee parents. 

She had just reached the door when May turned towards her catching her first real look at her battered appearance and immediately gasping. 

Geez, how bad did she actually look? 

"Michelle? What happened?" May asked in a gentle tone, her previous ire completely forgotten. Michelle was momentarily at a loss for words when May came forward and cradled her battered face with genuine concern etched all over her features. May's presence was so comforting and so nurturing that it made Michelle want to tell her the truth. But she had already taken a huge risk revealing herself to Peter, she wouldn’t put May in jeopardy too. 

“Bike accident. Some idiot clipped me on my way to the shelter this morning and the pavement and I ended up having a disagreement.” Michelle tried humor to distract from the growing tension, but May didn’t laugh.

“Why didn’t you call me? Did you go to the hospital?” She asked seriously continuing to look her over and no doubt clocking the tears in her clothes and the abrasions on her arms.

“I’m fine really. It looks worse than it is. The doctor said it was just a concussion and some broken ribs.”

May’s eyes bugged at her blasé description of her injuries and then she got a determined look in her eyes. 

“Well, you’re staying with us tonight. That’s final.” 

“No, really it’s not a big deal. I’m just going to go back to my place.” Michelle had been taking care of herself for years. Even just the thought of someone else wanting to look after her was equal parts heart-warming and terrifying. Michelle had confided in May that she lived alone during the afternoon of The Great Queens Cookie Burning, but she had explained it away as emancipation. That was proving to be a mistake.

“Out of the question. You can’t be alone with a concussion. Peter, go grab all my blankets and pillows and unplug the lights. Michelle, how about we get you cleaned up?"

MJ looked over her shoulder with a slightly panicked expression as May ushered her towards the stairs and Peter just smiled and shrugged his shoulders as if this was the most normal behavior in the world.


	16. Stitch

“I love you in a language that I don’t fully understand.  
In words that I haven’t found enough courage to forklift out of my chest.”  
Rudy Francisco

Within minutes Michelle had been ushered into a tiny bathroom with a stack of towels and some clean clothes borrowed from Peter. It was surreal to have stepped inside Peter's world.

The Parker apartment was small but filled with warmth and a conglomeration of May's eclectic style. She was standing in what she could only assume was Peter's bathroom and momentarily frozen by how quickly things could change. A few hours ago, she had been driving through the rain, sure that she would spend the rest of her life alone. Now she had a partner. Her father's condition still weighed heavily on the back of her mind, but for the first time in a while, she had hope that it might just all work out. 

But, they would need more information if they were going to take on the second largest tech conglomerate in the world. 

She pulled out her phone and dialed a number she hadn’t used in months.

"Eat metal, mouth breathers!!" An angry feminine voice with a thick English accent yelled from the other end of the line. 

"Uh, Stretch?"

"MJ!"

"How did I know you would be awake?" Michelle asked with a smirk. 

"I've been destroying NedLeader on Fortnight for hours and I just couldn't stop. You alright mate?"

Michelle's eyebrow lifted when she heard the familiar sounding username.

What are the odds? 

Nah. I probably just heard her wrong. 

"I need you to do some digging around some heavily encrypted hard drives. Focus on the research divisions but any anomalies could be important. If a single comma is out of place, I need to know about it."

"You got it boss. So, who pissed you off?"

"Norman Osborn."

Stretch whistled from the other side of the phone. 

"Am I to assume there is about to be a serious ass whooping?"

"You have no idea."

"Finally!!! You've been MIA for too long. It's been so freaking boring around here. They've been all 'hack the pentagon this' or 'infiltrate the dark web that.' I mean seriously give a girl a challenge once in a while."

Michelle couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. She had been dispatched to find the source of a breach in SHIELD's firewall two years ago while she was in the final stages of her training. Instead of finding a nest of underground hackers, she had found a super tall and super skinny 13-year old girl with a pink Afro siphoning Wi-Fi from a hotel lobby while eating sour gummy worms. When Michelle asked her why she did it, she had just shrugged and said she was bored. Stretch, as Michelle quickly nicknamed her, had hacked SHIELD, the most secure network in the world, in just under an hour. The previous record had been 24 hours and had taken a team of 16 of the best hackers in the world working simultaneously. SHIELD had wanted to lock her up in juvenile detention and forbid her from ever stepping within 20 feet of a computer again, but MJ liked the girl's 'no fucks given' attitude and convinced Fury that they should recruit her instead. With SHIELD’s positive influence, she had quickly become the best hacker in the world.

Life experience had taught Stretch to be skittish and mistrusting of just about everyone, but for some reason she had instantly trusted Michelle despite her chilly disposition. The pair had bonded over their shit families and Michelle quickly came to view Stretch as the little sister she had always wanted. They never really talked because Michelle always had her nose buried in a book and Stretch was always playing the latest video game, but they both preferred to do it while sitting next to each other and that was a huge step for both of them. Stretch finally had someone to keep her out of trouble and Michelle had gained her Girl in the Chair. 

"It's good to be back, Stretch. Please get some sleep and for the love of Thor! Stop drinking those energy drinks! You’re going to have a heart attack."

"Ok, mom." Michelle could literally hear the eye roll in her response it made her smile. 

She loved that little punk. 

Michelle disconnected the call satisfied that she had accomplished at least one of the things she had set out to do this evening. If there was any dirt to be found in Oscorp’s electronic footprint, Stretch would find it. She was the best. 

She stripped down and then got her first look in the mirror since she had left for her date with Peter the day before. Her entire body looked like it had been abstractly painted in injuries. She had a massive egg on her forehead, a deep black eye, a split lip, a crap load of miniature lacerations from glass shards littering her arms and neck, a cluster of bruising so dark around her ribs and hip bones that it almost looked like someone had painted a purplish-black skeleton on her skin, a deep gash in her thigh that the doc had put 30 stitches in, and an abrasion spanning the entire left side of her body where she had slid ten feet across a sea of glass shards and ash to slam into a wall.

No wonder I feel like shit. Freaking super lizard got me with one back handed swing. 

She wanted a rematch. 

She turned the water as hot as it would go and stepped into the stream. The steaming water stung her cuts but soothed her aching body as she stood blissfully still just watching the blood tinged water flow around her feet to the drain. She had been contemplating her next steps in the mission when the muffled sounds of a hushed argument brought her back to reality. 

"But all-night Peter? I know you are more responsible than that."

"May, nothing happened. I swear. We just fell asleep. I respect her way too much to try anything on the first date."

"That's not what it looked like on the roof five minutes ago."

"May, seriously. I'm not rushing anything with MJ. She's well...perfect and I'm not willing to jeopardize our future." 

"From the way you were looking at her like a whipped puppy, I'm tempted to believe you. But, you’re still getting the condoms."

"Ugh, you are so embarrassing."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Says the 16-year-old boy who runs around the city in blue tights.” Michelle had to stifle a laugh at the Parker’s conversation. They clearly loved each other relentlessly, but they also were not afraid to take the other down a peg and she appreciated that. 

“So, how was it? Better than your smooch with the actress at drama camp in eighth grade?" Michelle's ears pricked up. 

Who-What now?

"We clearly need to establish some boundaries with what we tell each other." Peter responded dryly, but it's what he said next that had Michelle smiling to herself in the shower. "And yes, even though it's none of your business, it was incredible. Like my whole world kind of shifted and I still feel like I'm flying. I can't describe it, but I've never felt anything so right in my life."

Michelle loved hearing Peter's side of things but felt suddenly self-conscious for eaves dropping on the Parker's private discussion. She grabbed body wash and made quick work of washing the blood and soot off her body determined to keep her ears to herself. She inhaled deeply and realized that she smelled like Peter. It was masculine and distinct but not overpowering, just like him. 

She couldn't help the smile that stayed firmly in place as she quickly shampooed and conditioned her hair. She was in her boyfriend's shower using his soap while he got an angry sex talk on the other side of the door. All in all, this was probably her most normal teenage experience to date. 

After stepping out of the steamy shower into the chilly air, she quickly dried her body and then slid on an old worn-out AC/DC t-shirt and a pair of Peter's plaid boxers that May had handed her. She smiled as she stuck her nose in the T-shirt and inhaled his familiar scent. 

She squatted down to collect her soaked clothes when she felt a distinct popping sensation in her upper thigh and a sharp pain a moment later. She stood quickly and saw the thick viscous blood pool in the wound on her upper thigh and start trailing down her leg. 

Damnit, I popped my stitches. 

"Shit. Shit. Shit." She whispered as she looked around the tiny bathroom for something other than May's white towel to stop the bleeding with. She settled on her soaking camisole and then startled as she heard a knock on the door. 

"MJ, are you alright?" Peter's concerned voice sounded from the other side.

"Uh yeah I'm fine I just...ow!" She exclaimed as she stepped back on her discarded belt buckle causing her to hop around on one foot like a maniac.

The door flung open to reveal a very concerned Peter Parker who very quickly assessed the situation and swooped in to save the day. She had been scooped up into his arms bridal style before she could even blink. 

"Peter, put me down! I'm fine I just popped a few of my stitches."

Michelle rolled her eyes at his cave man tendencies but that didn't stop her from looping her arm around his neck as he padded effortlessly to the kitchen and deposited her on the cool granite topped island. 

"Stay here." Michelle was completely at a loss for words still buzzing from the whole "my boyfriend literally just swept me off my feet thing" when Peter reappeared in front of her with two Tylenol capsules and a class of water. Michelle took them without complaint and drank the entire class under the watchful eyes of her over-protective spider. 

"Happy?" She asked with an overdramatic eye-roll. She wasn't very good at being taken care of so her automatic reaction was sass and sarcasm. 

Peter nodded in satisfaction apparently unperturbed by her attitude and walked to his room leaving a mystified Michelle mounted on the counter. He came back out with a red tool box looking way too innocent as he opened it. Michelle watched silently as he picked out gauze, tape, gloves, and a surgical suture kit. 

"Uh...what do you think you're doing?" Michelle asked skeptically. 

"I'm going to stitch up your leg." Peter said casually.

"Keep dreaming, Parker. You're not coming anywhere near my leg." She said obstinately.

"Would you prefer to bleed out all over the kitchen?" Peter crossed his arms over his chest and leveled her gaze. 

Michelle considered her options for a moment and then weighed Peter's determined body language. 

Stupid stubborn spider. 

"Fine. Do your worst." She said shrugging her shoulders in defeat. 

She supposed it wouldn't hurt to let him try. Or maybe it would. 

Ugh, she hated needles. 

She swallowed thickly as he immediately began prepping his supplies again.

"How exactly did you become qualified to do this, Dr. Parker?" Michelle asked unable to resist being a total smart ass to distract from her growing nerves. 

"YouTube."

"What the fu-" Michelle was cut off by Peter's lips meeting hers in a firm kiss.

Woah, I could definitely get used to this.

"You're going to have to start being more trusting, partner. Relax I practice on myself nearly every week." Peter said with a confident smirk while standing between her slightly parted legs. 

“That statement was not nearly as reassuring as you think it was.”

"Hold still." He carefully covered the hand she had been holding pressure on the wound with and helped her remove the soaked camisole. He examined the wound and then placed her hand so that it was holding the edge of his boxers out of the field as he cleaned the wound with hydrogen peroxide and sprayed a local anesthetic to the area. 

Michelle sat dumbstruck as Peter stood between her legs and began slowly and meticulously placing stitches in her leg. Much to her chagrin he was excellent at it and it was far neater and far less painful than some of her previous experiences with stitching. 

She was mesmerized by this young man who had swung into her life and planted himself firmly in her heart. She admired the way that his brow slightly furrowed in concentration as his strong hands gently mended her wound. She was captivated by the fluffy curls that had begun to spring up where his hair was finally drying from the rain. She was distracted by the way he bit his bottom lip when he was finishing the knot on each stitch. 

How had she been so fortunate to find him?

Of all the souls in all the universes, how did he fit so perfectly where no one else had ever even seen.

Her heart fluttered away in her chest as she sat perfectly still just enjoying the decadence of being taken care of by somebody she loved. 

Loved? 

Woah, Michelle. Pump the brakes. He’s just stitching your leg.

But even as the logical side of her brain explained away her soul’s admission with logic her heart knew the words to be absolutely true. Although somehow, love didn’t seem like a strong enough description for what she was feeling.

He replaced the ten busted stitches before cleaning the site again and then placing an ABD pad over the approximated wound. 

Now that he wasn't holding a needle to her skin, Michelle began to feel a little flushed. Peter was still standing between her legs, firmly in her personal space, and had his hand rested gently over the gauze holding her upper thigh in place. Her breath became slightly shallower when he used both hands to secure the dressing and Michelle was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to run her hands through his fluffy curls. 

Michelle had never touched anyone purposefully in that way. Just because she could. Just because she needed to. Every touch was all so new and special.

She was just entranced enough in the strange energy that pulsed around them, to lift her right hand up and push it through his soft curls. Peter peeked up from his handiwork for a moment and a small shy smile played on his lips. 

She couldn’t explain why at that exact moment a single word echoed unbidden through the recesses of her mind. 

Mine.

“Good as new." Peter made to back out of the intimate position he had placed himself in out of necessity, but Michelle didn’t let him go. She brought her other hand up and cupped the back of his neck and tugged him gently till he was fully facing her as her other hand continued to run through his unruly curls.

Peter’s hands came up to gently rest on her hips.

Michelle got so lost in his kind brown eyes that she forgot momentarily to guard her words. 

"I think you’re my favorite..." Peter chuckled softly when she let the sentence trail off. She couldn’t finish it because she hadn’t even been entirely sure what she had meant to say. She didn't have words for what her soul was singing.

“Favorite surgeon? Favorite super hero? Favorite science-geek?” He said self-deprecatingly. 

Michelle just shook he head and bit her lip suddenly too shy to continue trying to give words to what was in her mischievous heart. 

Peter leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

“You’re my favorite, too.” 

And she swore she felt her soul sigh. 

That’s exactly what she had meant. 

She had been about to tell him as much when a massive yawn caused her to close her eyes and stretch like a cat. Peter just smiled in that easy way of his and wrapped his arms fully around her.

"Alright, agent let’s get you to bed."

Much to Michelle's secret delight, Peter simply wrapped her legs around his hips and picked her up off the counter. 

"I am perfectly capable of walking you know?" 

"Yeah, but then you might bust your stitches and we would end up right back where we started. Not that I would mind." He finished with a mischievous smirk. 

Michelle just giggled-yes apparently, she did that now-as he carried her to his bedroom. She was reaching the delusional stage of tired where her eyelids bobbed every few seconds and the world felt a little hazy. He placed her gently on her feet right beside his bunk bed and then pulled down the covers.

"Uh so, I'm going to sleep on the couch but if you need anything just come and get me ok?" Peter said a bit nervously. Michelle was pretty confident she was the first girl to ever be in his bedroom and one hundred percent sure she was the first one to sleep in his bed. If she hadn't been so tired she might have had the energy to feel awkward too, but she just felt special and safe. She began falling asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, but she couldn't help the gratitude that had bubbled up from the little girl in side of her that had only ever wanted to be loved unconditionally.

"Thank you.” She whispered as he pulled the covers up over her battered body.

“For what?” Peter asked as if his was genuinely perplexed why she would be thankful when he had just spent the last two hours making her feel more loved and more cherished than she ever had.

“For taking care of me." She mumbled as she curled on to her side and let sleep overtake her

"Always."

*****

Peter’s heart panged when Michelle had thanked him for taking care of her. It seemed like the most obvious thing that he would patch her up and make sure she had a safe place to sleep. But the way she had said it made him think that she had rarely had the luxury of being looked after during her life. He promised himself in that moment that he would always be there to stitch her up or carry her to bed until being taken care of was a natural as breathing for her and even then, he’d be there too.

He shut the door to his room and immediately hit the spider in the middle of his chest sighing in relief. 

Geez, that thing was tight. 

He had been about to strip down and hop in the shower when his wrist display lit up again and he groaned out of sheer exhaustion. 

“You’re killing me tonight, Karen.” 

“I’m sorry, Peter. But you told me to notify you of any dispatches with the key words ‘non-human’ and ‘lizard’ in them.”

Peter tapped the display to reveal dispatches involving sightings of a non-human threat in a concentrated area of the city. He hit the spider on his chest, grabbed his mask off the kitchen counter where he had left it, and jumped out the kitchen window within seconds. 

"Karen, where is he?"

"Dr. Connors had been spotted on the Williamsburg bridge. Traffic is gridlocked. Nearly 100 civilians are trapped in his path."

"Do we know what he's after?"

"The only related person of interest on the bridge is Norman Osborn's CFO." 

"Any chance of some back up?"

"Ms. Potts has asked me not to disturb them."

"Copy that."

Just then the sky opened up and it began to downpour again.

Perfect. 

Peter ended up losing track of the lizard in the sewers again, but he had managed to save every civilian on the bridge, so he would call it a draw. As he was swinging home, the first light of sunrise began to peak through the clearing clouds over the horizon. 

Twenty-four hours straight, that might be a personal record.

When he arrived home, he was greeted by the strong smell of coffee and a less than pleased Aunt May watching his entire fight replayed on the six-o clock news. 

"Burning the candle at both ends I see."

Peter almost never snapped at May. They were so close that the only thing they ever disagreed on was his after-hours crime fighting. He'd gotten his ass handed to him by an enhanced hybrid and then lost the thing twice to the sewers of New York. He simply couldn't deal with defending himself after the evening he had just had. 

"What was I supposed to do May? The bridge was gridlocked the cops couldn't get to him. A whole bunch of people would have died. Is that what you want? Cause I can't live with any more lives on my conscience."

May sighed heavily and set her coffee mug down on the counter looking out their kitchen window as the sun began to shine through the skyline. 

"I can't live with your life on my conscience."

She turned around and met his frustrated eyes. 

"I know you think that you have to save everybody and I'm so damn proud of you it makes my heart hurt. But your parents left you with me and I promised them I would protect you."

Peter's previous anger deflated the moment he saw the tears in her eyes. 

Why was everybody crying around him this week? 

He walked over and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you May. I'm sorry I made you worry."

He had stopped apologizing for being Spider-Man a while ago. They both knew he wasn't going to stop, but he did feel guilty for the position it placed May in. 

"I love you too,” She pushed him away suddenly. “But you need a shower." 

“What? You don’t like my perfume a la sewer?”

That's typically how quickly their arguments lasted. They simply loved and respected each other too much to stay mad for any significant amount of time. She rolled her eyes at him as she reached for her purse and keys.

"I'm heading to work, please get some rest and feed MJ when she wakes up."

He smiled because he could tell May already loved Michelle as much as he did. 

He showered quickly threw on some boxers and then walked into his room to check on her. She was on her stomach with the covers bunched up around her hips like she had been tossing and turning all night. He was momentarily frozen just admiring this mysterious beautiful girl that had crashed into his life and stolen his heart. He closed the door and plopped down on the couch finally letting his tired muscles relax.

What a day.

He was just about to fall asleep when he heard her scream. 

All the hair on his body stood straight up as he flipped over the back of the couch and sprinted to his room. She had flipped to her back and was shaking her head back and forth as silent tears streamed down her face. She looked like she was in terrible pain.

Peter sat on the bed and began to shake her shoulders. 

"Michelle, wake up. It's just a dream....WAKE UP!" He yelled after his first few attempts were unsuccessful. 

"Mommy no. Please don't hurt me. Mommy. Mommy!!!!!!!"

Her eyes sprang open and she launched herself at Peter toppling him onto the floor in a self-defensive move. She was straddling his hips and had her forearm pressed into his neck when the final remnants of the dream recessed, and her eyes cleared. 

"I'm so sorry." She exclaimed as she sat up and placed her hands over her mouth. She looked mortified and terrified. Peter smiled because he really didn't mind having his super-hot girlfriend tackle him to the floor and straddle him. Plus, as far as boyfriends went, he was pretty durable. 

"Honestly, MJ. If you wanted to sit on my lap that bad all you had to do was ask." He jested cheekily trying to use humor to chase away whatever specters had haunted her dreams. 

She laughed reluctantly at first and then she truly smiled and swatted him on the chest as she stood up. She reached down and offered Peter a hand up.

"In your dreams, loser." At the word dream, the light in her eyes dimmed slightly and she regained that haunted look that Peter hated. Peter sobered and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you okay?"

*****

Michelle wanted to respond, she really did, but her mouth had gone dry at the sight of Peter Parker in nothing but a pair of boxers. Her brain sort of short circuited as her eyes traveled down his body and all the horrors of her nightmare were temporarily forgotten.

Holy hell. Peter is ripped...is it possible to have that many abs? 

Focus Michelle, he asked you a question. 

"Uh...." She felt her cheeks warm as the knowing look dawned in his eyes. Busted. 

“Um just a bad dream.... what time is it?"

Yes, good Michelle change the subject.

"I think it's about seven." He said as he pushed a hand through his damp curls. 

Close your mouth Michelle, before you actually start drooling. 

"Wait, did you just now shower?"

"Yeah, Dr. Connors made a surprise appearance on the Williamsburg bridge shortly after you fell asleep. I lost him in the damn sewers again but fortunately no one was hurt." He yawned the last word out and that's when she noticed the dark circles under his eyes. She typically would have yelled at him for not waking her up, but she knew she probably wouldn't have even stirred, as it was, she still felt on the verge of collapse.

"You can tell me about it later. We should get some sleep." Peter nodded through another yawn and then kissed her on her forehead.

I love when he does that. 

As he turned to leave, Michelle's hand shot out and grabbed a hold of his wrist. It was amazing how quickly she became addicted to his presence.

"Do you think maybe you could stay?" Michelle didn't want to be alone after her nightmare and she knew that he would sleep better in his own bed. Plus, she reasoned with herself, the sunshine streaming through the window would make the whole thing less intimate. Probably.

He seemed to understand her meaning and took her hand as he led them back to the bed. He laid down first and then Michelle awkwardly lied down beside him not letting a single part of her body touch him- a feat in his twin bunk. She startled when she felt his hand take hold of her own and she then sighed in relief. 

She was about to ask him if he was comfortable when she heard a soft snore escape his nose. She smiled sleepily thinking that even his snoring was adorable. 

Geez, did she have it bad for Skinny Kid. 

Sleep overcame Michelle a moment later but this time she only dreamed of big brown eyes and soft fluffy curls. 

*****  
Oscorp Tower

Penthouse Suite

“Sir, Dr. Connors was spotted on the Williamsburg bridge. Would you like us to detain him?”

Norman Osborn sat looking out over the city smoking a cigar in the shadows.

“No, let him cause all the damage he wants. It will keep our friends at the NYPD occupied for a while. We don’t need him anymore.”

“Yes, sir.”

“But I do want you to bring me someone else.”

“Sir?”

Norman Osborn smiled maniacally to himself as he thought about the power that the perfected serum would grant him. He would be the strongest and the richest man in the world finally able to reclaim the title from that bastard, Tony Stark. 

It was only a matter of time before he cracked the code that the Parker’s had rather died than give him. But even their deaths wouldn’t stop him from achieving ultimate power- it had only delayed the inevitable.

“Bring me Spider-man.”


	17. Toast

“They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered.”  
-F. Scott Fitzgerald 

Michelle woke up completely cocooned in Peter's arms for the second time in as many days. Only this time instead of panicking, she snuggled deeper into him and sighed contentedly. 

She dozed for a few minutes in that magical place between asleep and awake more content than she could ever remember being. Although she couldn't remember the last time she had been this freaking sore, Michelle couldn't imagine feeling any better.

She would have stayed like that forever if her bladder hadn't demanded release at that very second. She tried to extricate herself from her sleeping boyfriend's snuggly arms, but for the life of her she couldn't pry them off. It was like even in sleep Peter couldn't bear to let go of her. 

She liked that...a lot. 

But at this moment, it was very inconvenient. 

"Peter, wake up." No response. 

Damn, did this kid sleep like a rock. 

Ok well, she tried to be gentle...time to use a little force.

She was just about to elbow her cuddly spider in the stomach when she felt the hairs on his arms stand up. A second later she was on her back with her hands pinned above her head and a pair of half-lidded eyes staring down at her in mock frustration. 

"Did you just try to hit me?" He said with a mischievous glint in his eye. 

"No. I....well, yes! You wouldn't wake up, and I couldn't get out and ....and I really have to pee!!" Michelle whined dramatically. Peter busted out laughing at her scowling face and then attacked her with kisses. 

"Peter, stop. I'm serious."

"Nope, not until I see a smile." 

Ugh, of course he's a morning person. 

He began to kiss down her neck making dramatic smacking noises after each kiss. Michelle tried to keep a straight face really hard but eventually busted out laughing at the stupid nerd. It seemed she really couldn't stay mad at him long. Peter pulled back and looked down at her adoringly. 

"Beautiful." He said as he stole a kiss from her smiling lips. 

Michelle rolled her eyes, trying to hide her blush as she disentangled herself from his bed and made her way to the bathroom. After she peed and washed her hands, she braced herself for a look in the mirror. 

Yikes. 

Her curly hair was sticking out in a hundred different directions that almost resembled someone who had stuck their hand in an electrical socket. Her face was even more bruised than yesterday, and her eyes still looked slightly bloodshot. 

Beautiful my ass Parker.

She could feel that she had morning breath and looked around the cabinet for mouthwash but came up empty. Then she saw Peter's tooth brush sticking out of a storm trooper mug. 

Nerd. 

Ah, what the hell.

She grasped the toothbrush and made quick work of dispelling her morning halitosis. She ran a little water through her hands and tried to calm her curls but ended up shrugging in defeat and hobbling her way back to his bedroom. She had been hoping Peter was still in bed, so she could resume her new favorite position as little spoon but was disappointed to find the room empty.

"Peter?" Her stomach dropped at the complete silence that answered her. 

"Peter?" She whispered this time as worry started to cloud her mind. 

Where had he gone? 

Was it the lizard again?

"Boo." 

Michelle squeaked-yes, not her proudest moment-and spun around in a defensive position ready to deck the unknown assailant. Peter Freaking Parker was hanging upside down from the ceiling laughing hysterically at her expense. 

"Seriously, Parker I almost knocked your teeth out! How are you even doing that?" 

Peter was completely upside down apparently using only his feet to stick to the ceiling. She was partially thrown off by the fact that the loser wasn't wearing a shirt meaning she could only use about 10% of her functioning brain cells, but mostly just annoyed that he had made her squeak. 

She didn't squeak. 

She was an elite level operative dammit. 

"The bite gave me the ability to enhance the flux of inter-atomic attractive forces which increases the coefficient of friction between my body and whatever surface I'm touching."

"Huh?" Michelle was pretty damn smart, but that description went right over head.

"You ever heard of Van der Waals forces?"

"The electrostatic force that exists between neutral molecules."

"Yes, exactly! It's like that but just on a larger scale and I can control it." 

"So, your telling me that you are controlling how your feet are sticking to the ceiling right now?" Michelle felt the beginnings of a plan start to form in the back of her mind to get the nerd back for scaring her. 

"It's pretty much subconscious, but yeah basically."

"So, what happens if you get really distracted?" 

"Uh, I don't know. That's never happened." Peter's response had an almost cocky edge to it and it sealed Michelle's plan firmly into place. 

"Wow, that's pretty impressive Spider-man."

Michelle walked up so that there were only centimeters between their faces. Peter noticeably swallowed when she brought her hands up to run through his curls. The angle was really strange, but Michelle didn't let it deter her from leaning forward and kissing Peter firmly on the lips. He pulled back after a few steamy seconds of kissing.

"Did you use my toothbrush?" Peter asked with a bemused smile against her lips tasting the mint on her tongue. 

"Uh, yes? Is that ok?" Michelle asked a bit breathlessly. Peter responded by burying his hands into her hair and crashing their lips back together. Electricity erupted between them as the kiss inevitably deepened. Even upside down, it felt so good and so overwhelming kissing Peter that she almost forgot her plan altogether. Almost.

Just as Peter leaned further forward chasing her lips, she stepped back and watched with glee as he overcompensated and fell from the ceiling in a haphazard bundle of limbs.

Gotcha.

"What happened, Peter? Did you maybe get a little....distracted?" She couldn't help the smug smile that spread across her lips as she put her hands on her hips and watched her flustered boyfriend try to regain his equilibrium. 

"Ok, I deserved that." Michelle just nodded while extremely pleased that, despite his super powers, she could still get him as unbalanced as he always seemed to make her.

"Loser." Michelle tossed down at him as she offered him a hand up. 

Peter just shook his head as she pulled him to his feet. Michelle turned to hunt down some food but was jolted back when she couldn’t pull her hand out of his grasp. She shook her hand in confusion momentarily not understanding why she couldn’t get it out when he was barely holding on to it. Realization dawned as she looked up and saw Peter’s smug smile. 

Freaking stupid friction something coefficient controlling loser. 

"No fair." She said indignantly as he tugged her against his body by their super-glued hands. His opposite hand came around her back capturing her in place. Peter kept his eyes locked to hers as he raised their joined hands and placed the softest of feather-like kisses to the back of her hand. Michelle swallowed thickly as she felt another piece of her heart irrevocably stolen by the handsome playful young man in front of her. 

By the time he finally released her hand in favor of cradling her face, she no longer had any desire to leave. They moved at the same time meeting in a passionate dance of lips and tongues and hands. 

He gently crushed her against his body as he captured her lips in a down right dirty kiss. One of her hands relished in the feel of the bare skin covering his generously muscled back while the other cupped his chin holding him so that he would never escape. She plunged her tongue into his mouth and deepened the kiss even further as heat bloomed in her core and her entire body charged with anticipation. 

She was pretty sure she never would have stopped either, if her stupid stomach didn't choose that exact moment to make the most obnoxious gurgling sound she had ever heard. She tried to ignore it, but she could feel Peter’s smile against her lips a moment later and they both lost it. Laughing in each other’s arms until he was wiping tears from her eyes and both of their abs hurt. 

"So, I guess I ought to feed you." 

"I mean yeah...only if you want to live."

He chuckled at her serious tone and then took her hand again leading her to the kitchen. He didn’t have to use his Spidey powers this time, nothing in the world would have caused her to let go. 

When they had padded across the cool tile of the kitchen, he turned and placed his hands on her hips. She had been picked up and deposited on that same spot on the island before she could even formulate a protest. She still hadn't really gotten used to the fact that he was so ridiculously strong.

"Cosa prende Lei?" He asked in an Italian accent. She easily recognized the phrase from the time she had spent training in Italy but was flabbergasted that this nerdy kid from Midtown High had used it.

“You speak Italian?” 

“No, I wish. I just have a good memory.” He said with a smirk.

"What can you make?" She asked incredulously. Michelle couldn't cook worth crap which is why she mostly existed on take out and ramen. Peter looked at her with a quizzical face. 

"Anything." He answered seriously.

"Anything? Anything?" She repeated. 

"Well anything we have the ingredients for." He smiled guiltily. 

This ought to be good. Let’s test the limits of his linguistic and culinary skills.

"Le uova, per favore."

“Eggs it is.” He said with a wink.

So, Michelle sat happily in her spot on the counter watching Peter whip up two omelets while they chatted easily about nothing in particular. For most people this wouldn’t have been that impressive, but for someone who had actually managed to burn water while trying to boil it, she was amazed. 

She sat cross-legged devouring the most delicious omelet she had ever tasted while Peter stood beside her leaning his back against the counter eating his own. He set his half-finished omelet on the counter to go take the toast out of the toaster and Michelle couldn’t resist stealing a nibble. By nibble she of course meant that she stole half of it in one giant bite. Her fork was halfway back to steal another bite when Peter returned with the toast. 

"Hey!! You ate my omelet." He said in amused outrage.

"Swowry, ayw was wrelly hwungry." Michelle said with her still full mouth. Peter laughed as he set the toast down on his plate and then came to stand in front her. She swallowed and shrugged guiltily, hoping he didn’t really mind her munching ways.

"If that's the thanks I get for cooking you a hot meal then I-"

Michelle cut him off by leaning forward and placing a firm but chaste kiss on his lips. She grabbed a piece of toast off his plate and hopped down off the counter padding off towards the living room while munching down happily. She loved toast. 

"Thanks, chef."

*****

Peter decided in that moment that he would cook Michelle anything she wanted, anytime she wanted, for the rest of his life. 

Was he whipped? Undoubtedly. 

But who wouldn't be. He watched dumbfounded as she walked on those damn legs into the living room. She was making his boxers and t-shirt look worthy of a photo shoot and it was doing things to him.

She plopped herself down on the couch and started flipping through her phone oblivious to how she had stolen his breath away. He was transported in that moment to a possible future like this. With Michelle always stealing his clothes and food and him happily obliging. Lazy mornings in lounging on the couch, spontaneous afternoon dancing sessions, and late-night kitchen raids with her always sitting perched on the island waiting for a kiss. 

"Earth to Peter." Her voice knocked him out of his day dream and he smiled shyly to himself. 

"What was that?"

"I said, how much do you know about cross species genetics?"

Right. Back to reality. 

*****

Michelle and Peter got to work on the case files and began piecing together theories on the motivations behind Osborn's actions. They started by simply filling each other in on what each had already uncovered individually. Peter had been tracking the progress of the cross-species genetics lab in order to understand his own mutation better only to discover that it was his own parents research that had ultimately led to him becoming Spider-man. When they combined their data, a clearer picture began to form. 

Throughout the entire conversation Peter was always touching her somehow, which proved to be slightly distracting for the already love-struck Michelle. He would absently place his arm around her shoulder twirling a curl around his fingers or put his hand on her knee and rub tiny patterns into her skin. If Michelle hadn't already been completely obsessed with Peter Parker, his apparent inability to go twenty seconds without touching her would have sealed the deal. 

For the last three years, she could only bear to be touched in combat through violence or in self-defense. Every other touch seemed like a betrayal waiting to happen, and if she couldn't trust anyone around her heart than they didn't deserve her body. She had actually broken an agent's arm after a sparring match when he had casually tossed it across her shoulders. She flipped him over and snapped his arm so quickly that all the other recruits had steered very clear of her from then on. 

Michelle envied the easy way Peter could express his emotion and the effortless way he showed affection. Most of the time her affection came out in thinly veiled insults and joking punches. As it was she still flinched each time he touched her, but he wouldn't let it deter him and Michelle found herself starving for every contact. 

This fated connection was like gravity pulling her constantly toward him, like jumping out of plane and free falling toward earth without a parachute. She couldn't control it, helplessly falling deeper and deeper in love with every moment she spent around him getting to know his generous heart and brilliant mind.

Wow, did she need to get a grip.

The mission, Michelle. Focus on the mission.

They turned out to be a great team. Michelle brought years of strategizing and investigation experience while Peter brought his personal connection to the case and his genius level acumen for science. They had started working around two in the afternoon and didn't even look up until May came back from the coffee shop at midnight. 

They were making progress. But a few pieces of the puzzle still didn't fit. Like how Dr. Connors had seemingly gone from perpetual failed attempts to successful human trial overnight or why Norman Osborn was so obsessed with this specific task when he was already one of the richest and most powerful men in the world. Michelle rubbed her eyes and stretched her sore legs as she puzzled over data files on her laptop. 

"How's your day, May?" Peter jumped up eagerly to greet his aunt as she came through the door. She swore that kid had more pent up energy than the energizer bunny. All afternoon, he had moved around the apartment in a continuous orbit around Michelle. He literally couldn't sit still. One minute he would be sitting next to her tapping his knee, the next he was hanging from the ceiling. One minute he was writing on the white board, the next he was walking across the room on his hands. One minute he had his arm slung across her shoulders, the next he was leaping out the window in pursuit of some unknown threat. She shook her head and wondered how they had managed to get anything done. 

"It was long but productive. I'm going to head straight to bed. Michelle are you feeling better. Do you want to stay over again?" 

"Uh, I'm feeling much better. Thanks. But, no I don't want to put you out. I'll head home in just a few minutes."

"Well, ok. You're always welcome." 

"Thanks." Michelle’s heart warmed at May’s easy acceptance of her and her genuine concern. She was also very happy they got along so well because MJ was kind of planning on being around for a while. She was becoming increasingly fond of the Spider-Dweeb by the minute.

May headed into her room and Peter made his way back over to the couch and put his hand on her knee. 

"You don't have to go."

"I need see my dad and check on some things in the compound."

"Right. Let me grab your clothes out of the dryer." 

Michelle could tell something was off in his tone. Something was bothering him, so she followed him into the laundry room and found him bent over slightly with his hands on the top of the dryer and his head hanging. She took a deep breath for bravery and then attempted to give him affection and support in the same way he always did for her. She ended up gruffly bear hugging him from behind. He jolted a little at her impact, so she kissed him between the shoulder blades to soften the blow.

"You okay?" 

"Yeah. I can’t believe what Osborn has been doing all these years while I have just been happily playing with his son in the other room.” 

“You were a kid Peter, you weren’t supposed to know.”

Peter turned crossing his arms over his chest and leaning his body against the tumbling dryer. 

“I know, but now I’m questioning everything. I’ve been friends with Harry since pre-school, since before my parents died. He’s my oldest friend, but now I can’t help but wonder if he knew what his father was up to all along.”

“For what it is worth, I monitored everything that kid did for an entire year and while he may not be the most wholesome choice in a best friend, I don’t think he has any clue what his dad has been doing.” Peter was silent for a moment letting the reality of what they were about to set out to accomplish settle over him.

“A lot of people are going to get hurt, aren’t they?”

“Probably. It comes with the territory. But significantly less than if we did nothing and that’s the part we have to remember.”

"How many times have you done missions like this?" 

“This is one of the longest assignments I’ve ever had. Most of my missions were things with very quick and very obvious solutions. Disarm the bomb. Arrest the terrorist. Save the kidnapped girls. This type of thing with months of recon is new and it’s proving to be significantly harder.”

“Have you heard anything about your dad?”

“No change. Dr. Anderson has been sending me hourly updates. They don't think he’s going to make it.” She made the statement without excess emotion just stating it as fact, trying to get used to the idea of a world where he didn’t exist anymore.

“I’m so sorry, Michelle. I would do anything if it meant you didn’t have to lose your family.” He reached forward and used his thumb to wipe away the single tear that had escaped her eye without permission. Peter let his hand cup her neck and then tugged gently so that she collapsed into his welcoming arms and kissed her head softly. 

"No matter what happens, I'll be right here," His strong voice washed over her like a wave of peace cutting right to the heart of her fear. "Always."

She pulled back to look in his eyes. 

“Me too.” The smile that spread across his face had quickly become one of her favorite things in the entire universe. Even under the weight of their serious conversation, the electric tension had begun to simmer and pull. 

Michelle couldn't resist placing her lips softly on Peter's. For a moment, the kiss was innocent and sweet and full of emotion. The only sound in the apartment was the continuous hum of the dryer and their slightly shallow breathing. A moment later the sensual electricity sparked between them and Michelle buried her hands in his hair. Peter's arms squeezed her tighter crushing her to him from knees to chest. Peter was consuming her, and she loved it. 

They broke a part for one moment to look each other in the eyes. He seemed to want to check in with her before things got more intense. She gave him the smallest nod with a shy smile. 

He moved his hands down over her bottom to the very top of her thighs and picked her up wrapping her spread legs tightly around his waist, holding her eyes the entire time. He took two steps reversing their positions and causing Michelle to gasp as she felt the warm top of the dryer under her bare thighs. 

The only light in the tiny laundry room came from a small window that allowed the tiniest amount of moonlight to fall on them. She was still playing with his hair and looking into his deep brown eyes which shined with so much affection and hunger that she almost had to look away.

She wanted to tell him how she felt but she was afraid to break the spell that had captured them in the moonlight. So instead, she placed a soft lingering kiss on his forehead, then one on both cheeks, one on his nose-which made him smile- and then she brought her lips down to his. 

He deepened the kiss immediately. Her legs were still wrapped tightly around him as he began to kiss down her neck while. Both of his hands ran up the back of her thighs from her knees to her bottom. Michelle couldn’t help the breathless moan that escaped her mouth as those same wandering hands squeezed her ass and pulled her to the very edge of the dryer, so she was flush against him. 

“Ahhhhh.” Peter had nipped her gently in that soft tissue where her chin met her neck, but she felt it in a different place entirely. A delicious pressure started to form in her core and it made instinct take over as she ground herself into him and brought his lips back to her own. 

Both of his hands went under her t-shirt traveling up the bare skin of her back causing her to arch into him. She plunged her tongue into his mouth desperate for more as her hands fisted in the front of his t-shirt keeping him firmly in his delicious position. 

The combination of the friction from their leveled bodies, the gentle vibrations of the dryer tumbling, and whatever the hell Peter was doing with his tongue in her mouth had Michelle rapidly approaching a precipice she had only ever heard whispers about. 

Somewhere in the back of her mind, the logical part of herself knew they would need to stop soon, she wasn't ready to go all the way and they both had stuff they needed to get done. However, the way Peter was pulling her hair and devouring her mouth made that part of herself pretty quiet. 

Just when his hand ducked under the band of her boxers and squeezed her ass causing electricity to pour in waves through her, Michelle heard a faint buzz in the stillness around them. She resumed her assault down his neck, but Peter had gone stiff and was now looking over her shoulder at the watch on his wrist. 

He gently raised Michelle's head and she smiled shyly as she returned from the passionate haze of their connection and reality settle back around her. 

She was in so much trouble.

Michelle loved seeing Peter's hair mussed from her hands and his lips red from her own and she could only imagine how wanton and disheveled she looked to his eyes. 

"I have to go." He said seriously as he kissed the soft skin between her eyebrows.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m starting to seriously dislike Karen.” Peter let out a burst of laughter.

“You and me both, baby.” He placed a final scorching kiss to her lips and then disentangled himself from her greedy limbs and left the laundry room in a rush.

It took Michelle a few moments before her clouded mind rebooted and she hopped down from the dryer in search of Peter. She found him with his suit on as he pulled his mask over his face and hopped out the window. Michelle watched in a happy trance as he swung towards the twinkling skyline in the distance.

"Go get em' Tiger." She whispered into the night.

Michelle grabbed her jeans out of the dryer but opted to stay in Peter's t-shirt preferring to carry a piece of him with her while she faced her father's grim reality. She quietly made her way out of the apartment, down the stairs, and to the back alley where her motorcycle waited. She took her leather jacket out of the rear compartment and then slung her leg over the seat flooring it in the direction of the compound. 

"What do you mean there's nothing else you can do?" Michelle said in frustration as she stared down the doctor. 

"We've run out of options. He's maxed out on epinephrine and dopamine, but we can't get his systolics to climb. ECMO is the last line of defense, if this fails.... I'm sorry, it's only matter of time."

The doctor may as well have poured ice water through Michelle's veins. As she watched her father's chest mechanically rise and fall through the glass door, she felt the icy rage replace the warmth in her battered heart. 

She needed to do something. She couldn’t just sit here and wait for her father to die. Taking one last look at her father, she turned and marched determinedly to strategic headquarters. 

"What do you have for me Stretch?” She said as she approached the sea of monitors surrounding her Girl in the Chair. Her desk had multiple keyboards and was littered with Star-Wars figurines and bags of snacks in various stages of consumption.

"I've been monitoring all the Oscorp and dark web channels for the information you gave me, and I think I've discovered something." The girl chugged down half an energy drink and cracked her knuckles before she continued to type away on the keyboard in front of her.

"The main servers are squeaky clean. Just your typical nerdy science reports and forbidden interoffice relationships. But buried underneath a mound of coding, I found a large data cache that’s completely isolated from all the other channels. It's only ever accessed from one computer here at Oscorp tower and a small unaffiliated lab deep in the Amazon Rainforest."

"Ok. Why do I care?"

"Everything is encrypted, but I think the lab is the source of the species used for Dr. Connors experimental serum. It's obvious why Dr. Connors would want the regenerative properties of a lizard given the whole missing arm thing, but this particular species can only be found in this one remote ecosystem in the Amazon. From what I've been able to decode, this species is not only incredibly strong, fast, and durable, but they also showed off-the-charts levels of B and T lymphocytes. Their immunity and regenerative properties are unparalleled in nature and can even prevent the shortening of the telomeres that leads to aging.”

"So, what you're telling me is that if Oscorp perfects this serum, Norman Osborn could become immortal?"

"His human form would definitely reach the point of decay at some point but I'm thinking that it could significantly prolong his life and make him immune to most diseases including cancer."

"Can you get your hands on the rest of the data?"

"That's where it gets complicated. The data cache is so well encrypted and has so many firewalls, that even my best hacking viruses would take days if not weeks to crack it remotely and that's if no one notices me.”

“We don’t have that kind of time. Is there a faster way?”

Stretch’s brow furrowed, and she looked away from Michelle guiltily. 

“Tell me.” Michelle ordered. 

“It’s suicide Michelle, there’s no way I’m letting you do this.”

“Tell me.” Stretch took a deep breath and released it knowing she couldn’t escape Michelle’s iron will. 

“If I had the hard drive, I could probably get the information in a matter of hours.”

“Great. Where’s the hard-drive?” 

“It’s impossible. This laboratory is like the Fort Knox of labs. I'm pretty sure it has to be staffed by ghosts because there are no actual access points. The only reason I know there is anything there is because I sent an infrared drone. Any samples must be taken via air transport, but there is no satellite imaging because it is completely concealed by the rainforest canopy. I don't even know where to begin with a possible extraction."

"Send everything you found on the compound to me. I'll take care of the rest.”

“Wait, you’re taking back-up, right?”

Michelle left Stretch’s question unanswered and headed to the locker room to suit up. She texted Peter on the way. 

M: Got a lead. 

He responded immediately.

P: Me to! 

M: where's yours? 

P: The abandoned subway tracks. Where's yours? 

M: Brazil.  
M: Don't wait up, Bug-Boy ;)

With that she turned off her phone and slid into her tactical suit and combat boots. The suit had been personally designed for her by Shuri after Michelle had rescued a group of Wakandan girls from a sex trafficker in Africa last year. 

The material was thick but breathable and moved with her body like a protective second skin. It also happened to be bullet proof, flame retardant, water proof, and insulating to subzero temperatures. 

She looked in the mirror appreciatively. The suit was midnight black but had an ancient African pattern weaved through it with obsidian vibranium. She swore she could feel her ancient ancestors looking after her when she wore it. Shuri had designed a multiple point tactical harness that she wore around her back that fastened around her chest. She shoved her electromagnetic batons into the x-shaped holder across her back, placed a pistol under both arms, and strapped her favorite tactical knives to each thigh. 

She pulled her hair into tight French braids donned her fingerless gloves and then painted her entire face black. Michelle quickly made her way to the hanger where she fired up a Quinjet, completely unrecognizable to the casual observer. 

After programming the coordinates, she radioed mission control. 

"Agent 217 requesting take off from Hanger 1."

"Roger that agent. God speed."

Having engaged auto pilot, Michelle reviewed the intel Stretch had provided throughout her trip. The only possible entry point was the water main that started at a small river and dumped itself into the basement below the main laboratory. There were most likely motion sensors throughout the tunnel’s, so she would have to time her infiltration and exit perfectly once she had collected more intel.

As the jet hurtled toward her destination, Michelle's plan began to form. 

1\. Parachute from the jet to land 1 mile outside the northwest side of the compound. (30 min)  
2\. Find a way to cut the footage for the external cameras around the water line. (10 min)  
3\. Climb through tunnels to reach laboratory. Don’t trigger any alarms. (30 min)  
4\. Cut through drainage gradient and enter basement. (2 min)  
5\. Pray that there isn't a lot of security guards.  
6\. Loop the footage to the server room. Replace hard drive with dummy drive. (20 min)  
7\. Plant charges and blow Osborn's pet project to kingdom come. This was by far her favorite step. (20 min)  
8\. Return to tunnels and get the fuck out as quickly as possible. (45 min)  
9\. Hike to extraction point and get home safe. (30 min) 

Essentially from the time she jumped out of the plane she would have around three hours to get in and get out before she estimated extra security would be able to make it on site from the only nearby city.

Possible problems with the plan: she had absolutely no idea what she was walking into, she was distracted by the fact that her dad could die at any moment, the jungle itself could have any unknown amount of threats, she was working with 4 broken ribs and a concussion, and she had no back-up.That's how her black-ops division of SHIELD operated now. No one knew they existed so there was total plausible deniability. It also meant that if she were captured behind enemy lines, no one was coming for her. 

In other words, don't get caught. 

What could go wrong? 

She shook her head to clear the negativity. She had to do this. She couldn't let Norman Osborn get away with this and the hard-drive was their best lead. 

She unzipped the front of her suit just low enough, so she could retrieve the ever-present star pendent from around her neck. She kissed it and whispered, 

"I won't let you down."

Michelle felt the Quinjet downshift into a hover, strapped on a parachute, and jumped out into the black sky and the mysterious unknown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Info on Spider-Man's powers taken from the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and this article http://www.thegeektwins.com/2011/07/how-does-spiderman-stick-to-walls-comic.html?m=1.
> 
> Michelle's suit was partially inspired by Black Widow's suit in The Winter Soldier and obviously Shuri's bomb since of style. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it <3


	18. Shower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Trigger Warning: This chapter contains description of **attempted** sexual assault. 
> 
> Don't worry though, it has a very happy ending ;)
> 
> I also changed the rating to explicit because these two idiots can't keep their hands off each other. 
> 
> **Bonus point for anyone who can spot the reference to the first Thor movie :)

“And in those moments when you feel afraid to trust love, remember that I have crossed a great ocean of loneliness to find you.  
Mine is not a fair-weather heart, it was built to outlast storms.”  
-John Mark Green

So far, the plan was going great. 

Michelle had made it all the way to the server room without anyone noticing her presence. She knew from infrared that there were only thirteenth heat signatures in the building but hadn’t seen another soul up until this point. One of the heat signatures hadn’t moved from the lab. The other twelve were mostly congregated in what she assumed was a surveillance office or were making timed sweeps of the grounds every ten minutes. 

Once she had been inside the compound, it had been almost too easy hacking the network and looping the security footage. She had quickly assessed the security teams pre-mapped sweep routes and was able to avoid them without any trouble.

Norman Osborn was clearly more concerned with keeping people out and unaware than he was with the possibility of someone being on the inside.

She had just removed the hard drive when she heard voices echoing down the hallway. She slammed the drawer shut and then hoisted herself up on top of the large server box. Making herself perfectly flat and holding her breath. 

Two armed guards walked past with guns raised as Michelle waited with baited breath. 

“No one is here. Can we get back to our poker game?”

“I swear I heard something, man.”

“Just like you swore you saw a dinosaur last week on perimeter patrol?”

“How many times do I have to tell you, it was just a really big lizard. You know I hate those things. This place freaks me out.”

“You and me both, brother. When I signed on for private security, I thought I would be protecting pop stars on vacation not guarding some creepy ass scientist and her pet reptiles.”

“At least, Osborn pays well.”

“Let’s go. I don’t trust Charlie not to cheat. He’s always counting cards and shit. No one is that lucky.”

“Alright, alright. Let’s go.”

Michelle let out the breath she had been holding when the two guards lowered their weapons and made their way back out to what she was sure would be a riveting game of cards. She hopped down to the floor landing silently and then quickly made her way back towards the basement. 

She worked counterclockwise around the base of the structure planting charges at the most critical of the load baring pillars until she was satisfied it would bring this place to the ground. 

After planting the last charge, she bee-lined for the tunnels feeling more and more on edge by the second. She knew her luck could run out at any second. 

Almost there, just three more corridors and then tunnels. You got this. 

"Oi! Stop where you are!"

Shit. I guess that’s the end of my luck.

Michelle froze as she heard the tell-tale sound of a gun being cocked. She forced herself to take deep breaths as the mountainous man came up behind her. 

"Hands on your head."

Michelle began to raise her hands in a perfect imitation of a submissive captive. Just when the man lowered his gun to restrain her hands, she dropped low and swung her legs out sweeping the muscled legs out from under the security guard. He tried to roll away, but she was too fast getting behind him and putting him in a headlock with her legs wrapped around his torso. 

Geez, he was big. 

She held pressure with all her might as the man continued to flail in a panic. After a few more seconds, the man mercifully passed out. She had just gotten to her feet when a British voice came across the radio.

"Yo, big John you missed check in. You aright, mate?"

Shit. 

Michelle sprinted for the tunnels. Now that someone had missed check in, all of their sweep patterns would change leaving her blind in a maze just waiting to be found. She had to get out. As much as she would like to make these ex-special forces officers look like a bunch of minimum wage mall cops, she couldn’t afford to have her cover blown this early in the game. 

She was almost home free when she felt an excruciating pain course through her body stunning her mid stride. Her head pitched forward toward the concrete floor and she was helpless to stop it. 

A second later everything went black

Michelle snapped back to consciousness when a meaty hand back-handed her face. She blinked her eyes as they adjusted to the harsh fluorescent light. 

Even though her head was splitting open, she immediately began to assess her surroundings. She had been moved to some kind of interrogation room, duck taped to a chair, and surrounded by three large security guards. She had also been stripped down to her sports bra and thong. 

Assholes.

"Morning sunshine!" The first of the three said with a thick English accent. She immediately recognized his voice from the other side of the hand-radio earlier. All three of the men wore black uniforms with bullet proof vests and no designation, but they carried themselves with the arrogance that could only come from years of elite training. 

"What are you doing here princess?" The second man said curiously in an American accent. The man was tan and blonde, and his muscles rippled as he pushed off of the wall where he had been leaning and began to circle her chair.

"Would you believe me if I said school field trip?" Michelle asked with false sweetness and innocence. The second man punched her square across her face and she spit a mouthful of blood at the ground.

Ouch. Ok, definitely keeping my mouth shut from now on.

The third man, who had dark skin and horrendous breath, grabbed her hair from behind and wrenched her head back so he could speak into her ear. 

"I am not a patient man and I have a lot of ways to make you talk little missy. So why don't we start with a name." His accent was vaguely Middle Eastern, but she couldn’t fully place it without hearing him speak more. 

Michelle knew the backup timers on the charges would blow in less than twelve hours if she didn’t trigger them giving her the perfect opportunity for escape. 

All she had to do was wait. 

“Go to hell.”

“As you wish, princess.”

A fourth man entered the room with a basin of water and what she hoped was just a strange looking boom box but what she knew was actually an electric conductor. Within minutes, she had been strapped up to the machine with lines connecting to her chest, hands, and legs and her feet placed in the basin of water. 

This was going to hurt. 

She had to hand it to the group of security Osborn had hired. Between their various military backgrounds, they seemed to have endless creativity when it came to extraction techniques. While she didn’t know exactly how much time had passed, in what she estimated was the last ten hours she had been electrocuted, water boarded, injected with drugs, and beaten up in all manner of fashions all while having rock music blared into the room at unbearable levels and florescent lights blinding her eyes without a minute’s reprieve. 

It was cute that they thought they could break her with physical pain. They hadn’t even come close to the levels of torture she had endured to pass her final trials at SHIELD and she could tell they were becoming frustrated with her unperturbed response to their most valiant efforts. 

Michelle Jones knew real pain and she wouldn’t be easily broken. While her nerves were undoubtedly frayed and her body hurt like fucking hell, there were very few things left in the world that truly inspired fear in her heart and she knew she could endure them. 

Bring it on. 

Almost as if they had heard her, the music and lights suddenly cut off leaving Michelle temporarily blinded with a loud ringing in her ears. A moment later the three original guards re-entered the room with determined and maniacal expressions. 

“I’m impressed sweetheart. It’s not every day we get to play with our toys so long before they break.”

Michelle just stared blankly at nothing, not willing to give them the satisfaction of her attention. 

The three approached her from all sides until they were firmly in her personal space. The Brit stood in front of her and reached forward stroking her jaw. It took all of her self-control not to take a bite out of it.

“We’re only going to ask this one more time. Who are you and why are you here?” The Middle Eastern man intoned from right behind her ear.

Michelle didn’t respond and braced herself for whatever treatment they had cooked up next for her. She only had a few more hours at most. She could handle it. 

But the man didn't respond with words or violence like Michelle hoped. Instead, he reached his arm around and groped her breast. 

No.

The other two men chuckled as he continued to fondle her. Michelle was pissed. Nobody touched her unless she wanted them to. 

Stay calm. 

Stall. 

The Brit whistled lowly and then kneeled between her knees. 

"You're mighty pretty to be sneaking around in the tunnels in the middle of the night. One would almost think you were looking for trouble." He placed both his beefy hands on her knees and spread them wide. Her feet where taped to the chair legs but she was still exposed to his disgusting gaze. He licked his lips as he asked,

"What are you doing here?" She stayed silent but did grind her teeth together out of anger. Showing even an iota of response proved to be a mistake when the man smiled wickedly and leaned his face into her crotch inhaling deeply.

No. 

Michelle instinctively tried to squirm away. She knew her composure was rapidly crumbling and by the looks of it they knew it too. She hadn’t been mentally prepared for this.

"We have no plans tonight, so either you talk now, or you talk after we've had our way with you, you choose." Blondie whispered into her opposite ear as his hand trailed across her stomach. Michelle turned her head and bit his ear, earning herself a swift punch in the ribs.

Ouch! 

Shit that hurt.

Michelle couldn't lie. She was starting to panic. She knew she had been trained for every eventuality, but nothing could really prepare her for the reality of these three men threatening to rape her. The bone deep fear of what could happen was causing her brain to short circuit. 

Think, Michelle. 

Think. 

"Suit yourself." Blondie said as he cupped her crotch in his leathery hand. 

“Don’t touch me!” Michelle finally broke her silence out of sheer horror and fury and jolted as hard as she could dislodging the disgusting man’s hand momentarily. 

“There she is. She’s got a little fight in her after all.” 

The three large men surrounded her on all sides and began feeling all around her body with three sets of lecherous hands. It was a waking nightmare and angry tears began to fall down her cheeks without invitation. 

“LET GO!” She screamed at them constantly pulling against her binding knowing it was useless and would only damage her skin further. She didn’t care. Her entire body was screaming at her to fight. 

“Who are you?” Halitosis man said into her ear as his hands dipped under her bra. 

"What are you doing here?" The Brit purred as his hands massaged her inner thighs. 

“It can all be over, just tell us what we want to know.” Blondie whispered seductively as he licked his way up her neck.

Michelle squeezed her eyes shut and slammed her lips together trying to block out reality. 

I'm going to be sick. 

Breathe. 

Think of a way out.

"Enough." A fourth voice sounded from behind Michelle. 

Oh, thank God. 

"Put her on the table." 

What?!? 

Son of a bitch. 

Come on bombs! Any second now. Any second. 

Michelle fought the three goons with all her might as they attempted to transfer her to the flat silver table on the side of the room. She managed to get blondie in the nut sack-serves him right-and break the Brit's nose. But she still ended up overpowered and helplessly flat on her back with her arms duck taped above her head and a goon holding each leg. The fourth man turned out to be the one she had strangled in the basement. 

Yeah, so no chance of winning him over to my side. 

Basement guy started to unbuckle his pants and Michelle redoubled her effort. She managed to get one leg free and kicked halitosis man in the stomach but was quickly flattened to the table with basement guys massive body. He immediately began to rut his crotch into her and she legitimately had to swallow down bile as her stomach revolted. 

“Don’t TOUCH ME!!” She screamed into his face before a balled-up shirt was thrust between her teeth. Her ears rang and her heart pounded against her chest as adrenaline and terror coursed through every nerve.

No. 

No. 

No. 

I won't let this happen. 

I’m going to be sick.

No. 

Right as Michelle’s throat began to close with panic, she heard a sultry feminine voice sound from somewhere behind the disgusting ogre on top of her. 

“I believe she told you no.”

All four men’s heads snapped in the direction of the doorway. A moment later basement guy had a wire wrapped around his throat and was bodily thrown off Michelle’s form. 

All three men left their positions in order to take on the uninvited guest. Michelle immediately rolled off the table and tangled her legs with blondie crashing both their forms to the ground. She wrapped her legs around his throat and squeezed until he passed out. She squeezed some more, purely out of revenge. 

While she had been busy, the blonde assassin had easily taken out the two other men in the room. She came over to Michelle and quickly cut the bindings around her wrists. 

Before Michelle could thank the other woman, she turned over onto her hands and knees and emptied the entire contents of her stomach onto the cement floor.

“Rough day, Star?” The beautiful woman said with an understanding smile as she pulled Michelle to her feet. Michelle immediately crushed her savior in a hug.

“Nat! How the hell did you find me?”

“Got a call on my emergency burner from a friend of yours. Calls herself Stretch? She mentioned you might need a little back up.”

Michelle pulled back and met the eyes of her favorite mentor. 

“Thank you.”

“C’mon let’s get you dressed.” 

They quickly found Michelle’s gear which she donned and were about to head for the tunnels, when the rest of the guards descended on their location. 

Michelle and Natasha snapped into action. Bullets flew. Punches landed. Bodies dropped. But in the end, Agent 217 and Black widow stood in a room back to back surrounded by a pile of unconscious bodies. 

“What the hell have you gotten yourself into Star?” Natasha said while she caught her breath.

“What time is it?”

“2159, Wh-“

“Run.” Michelle took off with Natasha close on her heals as they sprinted through the winding tunnels. The sound of bombs detonating started not even a minute later.

One foot in front of the other. You're going to make it.

She could literally feel the heat licking at her heals as they dove out of the tunnel into the river. When she surfaced, all that was left of the compound was a smoking pile of rubble in a crater in the ground.

Holy hell. That was a little close for comfort.

“Damn. Who pissed you off?”

Michelle laughed as the two began swimming to the far edge of the small river. 

“It’s a long story. Where have you been?”

Natasha squeezed her short blonde hair out with a mischievous smile. 

“It’s a long story.”

“I like the new hair.” Michelle complimented her as she checked the status of her pistols post swim. 

“Thanks. When Ross put ‘red head’ on my global wanted poster, I figured it was time for a change.” 

“I can’t thank you enough for showing up, I know how much of a risk it was.”

Michelle looked up as a Quinjet came out of stealth mode and hovered a few feet off the ground in the small clearing they were standing in. The lift gate descended and Steve Rogers himself hopped down from the ramp. 

“Nat, we got to go. Ross can’t know we were here.”

The tall bearded specimen walked up to where Nat and Michelle had been talking and offered them each a towel. 

Holy Shit. Captain America just handed me a towel. 

“It’s an honor to meet you Agent. Nat here says you were the best recruit the agency has seen in decades and from what I’ve heard she was right.” Michelle swallowed nervously and hoped that they couldn’t see her blush in the dark. 

“Captain. The honor is mine.” She shook his extended hand firmly.

“Call me Steve. I’m not really a captain anymore just a nomad hopping around the globe looking for trouble.” He said the statement self-deprecatingly, but Michelle could still see that confidence and pride in the way he held himself. It was the way a man stood when he knew exactly who he was and what he stood for.

“You’ll always be a Captain to me sir.” Steve nodded gratefully and got a slightly faraway look in his eye, then he turned to Natasha. 

“Take off in 2 minutes. Nat.”

Both girls watched him return to the ship appreciatively. Michelle was in love with Peter, but she couldn’t deny that that man’s ass was a work of art. They both laughed guiltily when he had finally made it on the jet.

“Are you ok?” Nat asked as she placed a hand on Michelle’s shoulder and met her eyes. She knew what Nat was really asking about. There was a silent understanding between women who had been the victim of toxic misogyny. A secret sisterhood that promised to protect each other without ever having to say the words. 

“I will be.” And even as the words left her mouth she knew them to be true. She was stronger now than she ever had been. Despite Hydra. Despite Norman Osborn. Despite those disgusting pig’s best efforts, Michelle Jones was going to be alright. She had something now that they couldn’t take from her. 

Hope. 

“Present trauma aside, you look good, Star. Different. Happy even.”

Michelle smiled shyly at the observation. She figured it made since that she looked so different on the outside when she had changed so much on the inside. 

“I finally found a home and he changed everything.”

“Ok, I’m going to need full details on this one. But unfortunately, I have to go make sure these boys don’t get themselves killed. Ross is always up our asses these days.” 

“Put me on the books for a sparing date, when all this crap blows over.” Nat hugged Michelle tightly.

“Done.” Nat winked at her and then strode towards the jet.

“And Michelle?” She had paused her retreat to call over her shoulder causing Michelle to look up. “We’re always here. If you need us.” And with a final salute Black Widow disappeared into the already ascending Quinjet leaving no trace that she had ever been there at all.

Michelle returned home on autopilot. Once the adrenaline had ebbed she was left sore, tired, hungry, and traumatized. She landed the jet, delivered the hard drive to Stretch, and kissed her father on the forehead. Opting out of a checkup by Dr. Anderson in favor of reaching her bed sooner, she practically ran to the garage to her motorcycle and sped off towards Queens.

She wasn't even sure how long she had been gone but when she powered up her cell phone at a stop light she had 25 unread text messages and 10 missed calls from Peter Parker. 

P: Be safe please :)  
P: for the record, next time you go to Brazil you should bring me.  
P: update: the abandoned subway is super freaking creepy.  
P: I miss my sidekick :( when will u b home?  
P: JK. I’m obviously the sidekick :)  
P: I found lizard man!  
P: he kicked my butt again :) but I did figure out his plan :)  
P: he's figured out a way to weaponize the serum. He's going to release it over New York.  
P: have you ever heard of the Denali device?  
P: I'm working on an antidote. Where are you?  
P: well I stopped lizard man-he is in jail, but it was a close one. Good thing I had my leotard.  
P: MJ I made celebratory waffles.  
P: I saved you one.  
P: update: I ate it :)  
P: MJ it's been almost 20 hours since you texted. Not to be the clingy boyfriend but are you ghosting me?  
P: CALL ME!  
P: Starting to get jealous of Brazil.  
P: when's the flight home?  
P: Michelle pick up your damn phone!  
P: ok. starting to freak out. Seriously MJ it's been nearly 24 hours.  
P: officially freaked out  
P: officially worried :)  
P: officially mad!  
P: Call. Me.  
P: Michelle I will buy a ticket to Brazil.  
P: Baby please tell me you’re safe.

She felt bad she hadn’t been in touch in so long and a part of her wanted nothing more than to collapse into the safety of his arms, but her incessant negative thoughts had been accumulating in her mind the entire journey home. 

Should she tell Peter about what happened?  
Would he think of her differently after he heard about what those men had done to her?  
Did she even want to see him while she felt so dirty?

She decided she definitely couldn’t tell him about what had happened. She would go home, shower, sleep, and reassess in the morning. 

She didn’t want him to see her like this. 

She was physically wrecked but more than that she was emotionally raw. Even though she knew logically that what those men had tried to take from her hadn’t changed her worth, she still felt violated. That feeling grew and mutated in her world-weary mind and made her feel cheap and unworthy of something as pure as what she had with Peter. 

M: I'm safe. C U tomorrow. 

Michelle's phone immediately began to ring, and Peter's handsome face lit up the lock screen. She shook her head sadly and turned it off. It broke her heart not to hear his voice.

She parked her motorcycle in the garage below her apartment and covered it with a tarp. She snuck up the stairs to the tenth floor praying she wouldn't see anyone. After all, even in New York City a skin-tight black suit accessorized liberally with weapons tended to draw attention. 

She opened her apartment door and felt a strange sense of mis-belonging. So much had changed in the last 24 hours, she felt that somehow her small space should have been changed too. The last time she had been here had been days ago and she had been shocked at the happiness of the girl staring back at her in the mirror. She wondered what she would see now. 

She collapsed against her closed door and slid all the way down until her bottom hit the floor. Exhaustion descended on her and then, without meaning to, she began to cry. She cried because her dad was going to die. She cried because those men had nearly raped her. She cried because she had blown up a building and she might have killed them. She cried because she missed Peter and she was scared he wouldn't want her now. She cried because her body hurt so damn much. She cried because she wanted to sleep but every time she closed her eyes she saw their faces and felt their hands.

Enough. Tears don’t change anything.

Michelle didn’t want to give them any more real estate in her mind, so she clambered to her feet in search of a hot shower. She was about to walk into the bathroom when she heard a voice from behind her.

"I have to say, all those jokes about my onesie and you've been hiding this get up all along."

Michelle had pulled her pistols in an instant out of instinct and trained them on his forehead. After a pregnant pause, she lowered them and shook her head. Peter was hanging from the ceiling in his full Spider-Man uniform. 

"Go home, Pete."

"No. Not until you tell me why you disappeared for 24 hours and then showed up in tears."

You don't want to know, handsome. Trust me. 

He was a sight for sore eyes. Literally. She took one look at him and wanted nothing more than to tell him everything and collapse into his warm embrace. Her cynical mind warned her that he wouldn’t understand, that he wouldn’t want her, even while her soul knew that that was not true. As usual, her mind was a battlefield of experience-informed pessimism and love-inspired optimism.

"Please, just GO HOME!" She yelled at Peter, hoping he would take the hint and beat it. Anger seemed like a safer emotion than vulnerability. 

Peter dropped gracefully to his feet and then removed his mask. His eyes were full of concern and beneath it a brewing irritation. She wished he would just leave before she crumbled into his arms and told him everything.

"No. Tell me what happened. We're partners, remember?"

Michelle turned towards the window, so he couldn't see the frustrated tears that were gathering in her eyes. 

Damn, I thought I had gotten all those out. 

"Peter. I won't ask you again. Go. Home." She was pretty sure he would've too, if her voice hadn't cracked so spectacularly. One second she was taking a calming breath to gather her resolve, the next she was wrapped in Peter's arms from behind. 

"Let go!" She struggled in his arms with all of her might convinced he would be able to feel their hands just from touching her. Meanwhile, her heart was crying out to let him heal the trauma that they had inflicted.

"I asked you to let go." She half whispered half yelled as she remembered how strong her boyfriend really was and how week her body was after being tortured all day. Michelle was using all of her strength to break his hold and he hadn't even flinched.

"And I promised I never would." He whispered into her hair. 

Those were the words that did it. Her legs gave out and she would have collapsed if Peter hadn't caught her crumbling form and swept her up in his arms on his way to the couch. She covered her filthy face in shame as silent tears dropped off her chin. He didn't press her for information, he didn't say a word. He just held her tenderly rubbing calming circles on her back. 

His unhurried silence coaxed an explanation from her battered mind and after a minute, she recounted the entire story in a broken voice. 

She didn’t leave out anything, his very presence compelled her to tell the entire truth no matter what his response. It was cathartic releasing all of the trauma and fear and guilt even while it caused his entire body to go rigid and his eyes to harden to ice. 

When she had finished the story, she detangled herself from Peter’s arms and went to stand by the window unable to be still while she waited for his verdict.

Peter was absolutely silent for a few minutes and Michelle’s pessimistic mind was sure she had lost him for good. That is until she heard his emotion laden voice from right behind her. 

"Michelle. Look at me." She couldn't make herself turn. She knew what was coming but her body screamed for her to stop it. To get on her knees and beg him not to abandon her like everyone else. 

She had too much love for Peter and too much pride for herself, so she stood completely still watching the twinkling city lights in the distance. She felt warm gentle hands on her burdened shoulders as he turned her and lifted her chin to meet his fiery expression. She was shocked by the myriad of emotions that flashed in his eyes as he stared back at her. 

He began to speak but no sound came out, so he cleared his throat and started again. 

"I wish I had been there. I wish I could have prevented all of it. Protected you from them. I wish I could have been the one to beat the shit out of them for touching you. I’m so sorry, baby. I promise you as long as I live, no one will ever lay a hand on you again." He cradled her tear stained face in his strong hands as she processed what he was saying.

Could he still want me after all of this? 

“Do you still want me?” Michelle asked from the deepest most vulnerable place in her heart.

He kissed her. 

Deeply. 

Soundly. 

Perfectly. 

She pressed her lips firmly to his and wrapped her arms around his neck as he squeezed her tightly to himself. Then he pulled back and made her look him in his eyes.

“Baby, I want you so bad it hurts. There is nothing anyone can do ever that’s going to change that. There is no version of reality where I’m not going to want you desperately. Do you understand?”

“But your mad?” She asked still seeing the fire in his eyes. 

“I’m fucking livid, Michelle. They never should have gotten within ten feet of you. I promised to have your back, but you went out there on your own. You can’t do that MJ, not anymore. Promise me you’ll take back-up, take me, take anyone with you. I can’t lose you. You can’t be replaced.” She had gasped at his passionate declaration, he was so often happy and easy-going that it was easy to forget how deep his emotions ran.

“I promise.” She whispered back, and she meant it.

He then proceeded to kiss her in what had become her favorite way. Once on the forehead, once on each cheek, once on the nose, and once on her lips. These kisses weren't passionate or sexual in a way that demanded reciprocation. These were selfless tender kisses meant to show how much he cherished her. 

All of her. 

Always.

They let their foreheads rest against each other's and just held each other resting in the contented hum of their destined connection. Michelle was worried that now that Peter knew the truth he would treat her differently. Almost as if her darkness would snuff out the light they had created together. She eventually had to break the silence. She had to make sure they were still them. 

"I really need a shower." She said against his neck with a self-conscious smile.

"Me to." He laughed out softly.

"Oh yeah? Worked up a sweat saving all those kittens?" She teased lightly.

"I'll have you know, saving Mittens from the highest tree in Queens is no small feat." She just laughed as she ran her hands through his sweaty hair relieved that they were still them. 

Spider-man and Agent 217. 

Skinny Kid and Moody Girl 

The science nerd and the girl next door. 

Peter and MJ. 

"Will you help me?"

"Help you what?" Genuine concern covered his features as he examined her beat up face while cupping her chin softly in his strong hands. 

"Will you help me wash them away?"

Peter swallowed thickly and searched her eyes as if looking for the tiniest fleck of doubt. She knew he wouldn't find any. 

She needed him, and she wasn't going to apologize for that. Michelle's mind finally caught up to what her soul had known from the first time their eyes met. Peter understood her in a way that defied logic or conventional wisdom. His arms would always be her safest place. Michelle could trust him implicitly with her body because she had trusted him implicitly with her soul and he had handled it perfectly.

He nodded and placed his hand in hers, waiting for her to take the lead. 

Michelle led him to the bathroom silently. She turned on the shower to its hottest setting and then turned to face him. The air in the small place was immediately charged with an electric current that caused both of their respiratory rates to accelerate. 

She unbuckled her tactical harness and let it drop to the floor as she toed off her combat boots. Peter hadn’t moved, he was just staring at her with a vaguely amazed look in his eye. She met his eyes as she placed her hand over the spider on his chest and pushed it. The suit immediately loosened, and she helped guide it past his shoulders till it was pooled at his feet.

Damn. It's like he stepped out of a GQ shoot.

The aftermath of his fight with the lizard could be seen healing all over his body, but it did nothing to distract from the pure masculine sexiness that stood before her. A nasty looking three clawed gashes started at his left hip and disappeared behind his back and angry bruises marked his creamy skin. She kissed his chest, right over his heart and his hands came to rest on her waist. 

He seemed at a loss as to where to start on her suit. So, she took his hand in her own and guided it to the zipper at her throat. He slowly glided it down, down, down until it was just below her belly button. Peter pushed his hands under the fabric on her shoulders and then guided them down her arms holding her gaze the entire time. She pulled her sports bra off so that she was bare from the waist up just like him. 

Peter's brow furrowed when he finally trailed his eyes down and saw the deep bruising covering most of her rib cage and torso. He kneeled as he placed kisses on each bruised rib and beside each healing cut. 

Michelle's entire body was on fire, yet chills flowed through her in waves causing goosebumps to erupt everywhere his lips met. He looked up at her for permission as his hands hooked around the waist of her suit, then he peeled it all the way down and off her feet before he stood back up. His eyes never left hers as they each removed their final piece of clothing. Her thong and his boxers hit the floor a moment later. 

As they stood before each other completely naked, Michelle felt more comfortable than she ever could have imagined. She found this to be significantly easier than the times she had been emotionally naked in front of him. He had already seen the darkest parts of her soul so seeing her body didn't seem like that big of a risk. It maybe should have been awkward or pressured, but it wasn’t. She was his and he was hers.

She trusted him.

Peter was looking at her like she was the most beautiful creature in the world even though in reality she probably looked more like a walking bruise. The way his eyes captured hers emboldened her and Michelle turned and stepped into the shower pulling Peter with her. She ducked her head under the steamy stream and scrubbed the final remnants of the black paint off her face. 

Before she could turn back around she felt Peter gently undoing both her braids. When he had finished, she turned and let her hair get soaked as she watched him lather shampoo on his hands. Then he gently ran his fingers through her hair and began to wash away the sweat and grime. Michelle's eyes fluttered closed as his strong hands massaged her scalp. Her heart was beating out of her chest as she ducked her head back to rinse out the suds. She could literally feel the emotion and attraction pulsing between them. 

I love you. 

Michelle nearly said it out loud too but then her logical mind told her it was way too soon. That she was exhausted and prone to emotional instability. They had only been together a week after all. 

Funny how it seemed like a lifetime. 

There was something about his deep sincere brown eyes that promised forever even when neither had said the words. Michelle knew in that moment that there would never be anyone else for her but Peter Parker.

He repeated the same process with conditioner leaving Michelle completely relaxed under his expert hands. Next, he turned her so that her back was to his chest and poured body wash on his hands and started massaging her shoulders. The tension she had been carrying for what felt like years yielded under his determined fingers. 

Michelle had no idea where he had gotten so good at this, but she wasn't going to question it. It felt decadent to be taken care of so thoroughly and she was quickly becoming addicted to it. He washed down her arms and her entire back and then he pulled her closer to him as his hands reached around to wash her flat stomach. 

If Michelle was honest with herself, she wasn't sure how far she wanted this to go. She just knew that Peter's hands felt perfect and she couldn't feel those assholes on her skin anymore. 

He paused just under her small breasts and made her look him in the eye by grasping her chin with his soapy fingers and turning her head till they were more or less eye to eye. She answered his unspoken question by pressing her lips to his in a warm and intimate kiss as both his hands trailed upward and gently cupped her breasts. Michelle's head lolled back onto his shoulder as her eyes closed again relishing the delicious warmth gathering in her core. She felt desperate and curious and a little naughty to. 

His left hand continued to squeeze and wash her soapy breasts, but after a few long moments his right hand trailed down her side and over her hip where it paused. Knowing he wouldn't go any further without express permission, Michelle placed her own hand on top of his. 

The self-conscious and anxious part of her brain wanted her to stop him, but that other part of her, the part that she had only recently discovered, simply wanted more. So, she guided his hand under her own towards her center. Both of their breaths hitched in their lungs when his firm hand finally contacted her most intimate parts.

Did I just put Peter Parker's hand between my legs?

Michelle was shocked at how much her body craved this. She had never been a very sexual creature. Between the depression and tragedy that had outlined her teenage life and her general mistrust of all people, she never really fantasized about sex. She had touched herself once after reading a particularly steamy scene in a novel, but it never really inspired the desperate kind of wantonness she felt as Peter's hands contacted her clit. Her hips immediately and involuntarily started to grind back against him seeking more friction as she felt a warm heat start to build in her core. 

Woah. 

Michelle bit her lip and moaned softly as his hand began to run patterns in her over-sensitive flesh. At her moan, Peter added pressure to his promiscuous massage in just the way she wanted under the guise of cleaning her. 

Did it always feel this good? Did everyone feel like this?

Michelle's hips began to grind back against him instinctually with more force as Peter kissed his way down her neck. The combined sensation left Michelle panting and wet- not from the water- and on the verge of something exquisite yet slightly out of reach. 

"Don't stop." She moaned breathlessly as she curled her toes and squirmed against him.

Peter used his left hand to grab her chin and he sealed his lips over hers as his right hand began to pick up speed. Her own right hand was now clamped on his right wrist although whether to hold herself steady or to hold him in place, she wasn't entirely sure. Her left hand traveled over her head to bury herself in his damp hair. 

It was ecstasy. It was magic. It was him. It was her. 

Michelle felt the tension inside her build.

and build… 

and build…

Until finally, mercifully she shattered into the first and most exquisite orgasm of her life while Peter swallowed down her moan. 

She actually saw stars. 

As she returned from space she smiled against Peter's lips and he gently rubbed her down from her climax. Michelle was dazed and felt slightly shy as she realized she had just let her boyfriend of a few days rub her to completion in the shower. Her self-consciousness was quenched by his next whispered words. 

"You take my breath away, you know that?"

She was feeling a bit breathless herself.

Michelle would have responded except he chose that moment to turn her around and drop to his knees. Michelle put her hands on his shoulders for balance, as her legs were feeling a bit wobbly at the moment. 

So, the expression ‘made my knees weak’ is definitely accurate. 

He put more body wash on his hands and then washed all the way down to her feet, bending her knee and placing a kiss on her inner thigh before repeating the process on the other side. He put his hands on the back of her ankles and ran them all the way up to her ass which he squeezed cheekily. Michelle would have scolded him, but she found she simply loved it too much, loved him too much. 

She felt a heady sort of power having this incredibly strong man kneel in front of her and wash her feet and sooth her aches. He was selflessly cleaning her when most men would be clamoring for their own release. His sacrificial action actually made tears gather in her eyes and cause her heart to clench. 

Mine.

She looked down at the generously muscled man in front of her and thanked God they had found one another. He was kind and gentle and funny all while being so unapologetically and unproblematically male. Speaking of male, she was suddenly very curious what he felt like. What all of him felt like.

Despite her deep desire to make Peter feel as incredible as he had just made her, she was fading quickly as endorphins gave way to a bone deep exhaustion. Peter seemed to catch the shift in mood and pushed her gently under the stream of steamy water to rinse all the suds off her body. He made quick work of washing himself and then he was wrapping Michelle in a fluffy towel and carrying her towards her bedroom. 

"What about you?" She protested through a yawn.

"Shhh. We've got all the time in the world baby."

Michelle could barely keep her eyes open let alone respond adequately to his sweet hopeful words, so she just snuggled closer and said the first thing that came to mind. 

"You smell good." Michelle said through another yawn.

Once he had set her on the side of the bed, he found an oversized t-shirt in her drawer and slid it over her head. He pulled a pair of boy-short underwear up her boneless legs and then wrapped her arms around his shoulders, so she could stand long enough to get them all the way up. For some reason, the quiet intimacy of Peter dressing her made Michelle blush more than what had transpired in the shower. 

He just smiled as he tucked her under the covers and kissed her flushed cheeks. 

Michelle snuggled immediately into a contented sleep. 

*****

Peter's heart felt like it could explode with the love he felt for Michelle. He wanted to take care of her and cherish her for a lifetime. Not because she needed him to, she didn't, but she deserved to be, and he was determined to be the one to do it. To give her all the love and affection that her cruel life had denied her. 

God she's beautiful. Even with bruises and cuts covering more of her skin than not, she was simply stunning. The strength and courage she carried in her soul shone through her battered exterior and made his heart hurt and his head spin. Not to mention, those sexy little sounds she had made that still had his heart thundering away in his chest. He couldn’t wait to spend a lifetime eliciting those sounds out of her sinful mouth.

Peter prayed he would always be there to protect her. He never wanted her to go through anything like that ever again. He shook his head to clear the darkness that threatened to creep in when he thought about what those vile bastards had almost done to his Michelle. 

He’d never been a particularly possessive individual but something about the way that she wore her scars like jewelry made him want to take down anyone who even looked at her wrong. Violence and vengeance were dangerous emotions for somebody who was a strong as he was. He had a responsibility to the world to conduct himself with strength and honor and mercy, even when he desperately just wanted to lose it. He had a responsibility to Michelle now too, to put her before his own pride and feelings. 

If Ben had taught him anything, it was that loving someone meant sacrifice and it meant choosing them every second of the day and then waking up and doing it all over again. In every universe, across every age, Peter would choose MJ.

Peter brushed a damp curl that had fallen over MJ's forehead and then pushed to his tired feet. He was on his way to grab a blanket and head for the couch when he heard a sleepy voice from behind him.

"Stay."

And so, he did.


	19. Bowl

“I don’t know what is going to happen to us. I cannot read stars or converse with The Fates but I do know this: I’m all in, here and now, until I’m dead in the dirt. No matter how difficult it gets, or how desperately the world tries to tear us apart, I’ll be yours.”  
-Beau Taplin

Michelle was still in bed nearly twenty hours after she had initially been tucked in by Peter. He had woken her up every six hours to make her take ibuprofen and drink water, but she would fall asleep as soon as her sore head hit the pillow. 

She was still utterly exhausted and ridiculously sore but this time she couldn’t fall back asleep. She quickly realized it was because Peter wasn’t here. She rolled over in frustration and found her nose buried in a note. 

‘Good Morning, beautiful.   
Eat something. (There is food in the fridge)  
Take some more ibuprofen.  
Don’t get in any fights. ;)  
I’ll be back soon.  
-Peter’

Bossy. 

A bottle of ibuprofen with a post-it that said, ‘take me’ sat on the bedside table next to a large bottle of water that said, ‘drink me’ with a smiley face drawn beside it.

Michelle rolled her eyes at Peter’s protective ways but secretly loved every bit of it. He had every right to be worried. The symptoms of her concussion and beatings had finally caught up with her and she had actually thrown up and then nearly passed out the first time she woke up. Dr. Anderson would kill her if she knew she had gone out in the field so quickly after her initial injuries. In hind sight, it hadn’t been her best plan. 

She swung her legs over the side of the bed with a sore groan just in time to see the final remnants of twilight fading into night. After showering, brushing her fuzzy teeth, and taking some more pain medicine (Dr. Parker’s orders), she padded her way into the kitchen while dialing Dr. Anderson.

“Any news?” She asked hopefully. 

“He is still critical but stable. No changes. How are you feeling?” Her gravelly voice sounded back 

“Better. I spent the last twenty hours in bed, so that definitely helped.”

“Mmmhmm, Stretch told me about your little mission. You are lucky to be alive.” She said seriously. 

Snitch.

“I know. I learned my lesson. I promise.”

“I will believe that when I see it.” Michelle laughed at her disbelieving tone. 

“That’s fair. Has Simmons contacted you yet?”

“No, but Fury said they are still in deep shadow conditions so there is still a chance she will get back to me. I will call you if there are any changes.”

“I can’t thank you enough for taking care of him, doc.”

“Take care of yourself, little star. That will be thanks enough.” The doctor said the words firmly, but Michelle could hear the genuine concern and care beneath them. The call ended and after Michelle checked in with Stretch who reported that it would be a few more hours for the data to be fully decrypted. 

Michelle was secretly relieved. As much as she wanted to take down Osborn, she needed a small break. The last few days had been so full of ups and downs that her head was literally spinning-or maybe that was the concussion. Hard to say.

She opened the fridge to find a casserole dish with foil over it that had a post-it on it with two words on it: ‘eat-me.’

Michelle chuckled at his note and then quickly opened the foil to reveal a delicious looking lasagna. She cut out a huge piece and popped it in the microwave barely able to wait for it to fully warm up. 

It smelled so freaking good.

She was sitting cross-legged on the couch in nothing but boy-shorts and an oversized t-shirt stuffing her face with her third slice when the front door opened to reveal her favorite person in the entire world. 

Peter was freshly showered and just wearing a white t-shirt, jeans, and his old warn out Nikes, but it still stole Michelle’s breath for a moment. 

Damn, does he get hotter every time I see him?

“Your awake.” Peter said happily as he locked the door and dropped his back pack on the floor while toeing off his shoes. He came over and plopped down beside her before she had even swallowed the monster bite in her mouth.

“Did you like it?” He asked placing her now empty plate on the coffee table and filling her empty hands with a travel mug from May’s coffee shop.

“I loved it. I’m pretty sure I ate half the pan.” Michelle said seriously placing a hand over her full belly.

“Well that’s a good sign.” He chuckled as his eyes traveled across her injuries clearly trying to assess her well-being. 

"Thanks for the coffee. Where did you learn how to cook like that?" She asked while happily taking a big gulp of her coffee. It was made perfectly to her taste, of course. 

He was way too good at this whole boyfriend thing. 

“Self-preservation.” He said seriously. At Michelle’s confused look, he continued. 

"As incredible as she is at making coffee, May is kind of horrible at cooking. Whenever she cooked, Ben and I would just chew and swallow without tasting whatever concoction she put in front of us. He was so in love with her, he would ask for seconds just to see her smile.” He laughed at the memory and Michelle wished, not for the first time, that she had been able to meet the man that had raised Peter. “I, however, was not that altruistic and, as soon as I was old enough, I learned how to cook some basics just so we wouldn't starve between visits to Sue’s.” Michelle uncrossed her legs and then snuggled into Peter’s side.

"After he died, May wouldn't eat anything. She just got stuck in the grief for a while, ya know? I tried every take-out place in New York City and still she would barely pick at it. I was so worried about her. But then I discovered that when I cooked, she would actually eat and so I guess I just never stopped cooking." He had a sort of sad pride in his eyes when he shared the last part. 

"She's lucky to have you." 

"I think anyone would agree that I'm the lucky one." He said with a self-deprecating smile. "It was the least I could do. May and Ben saved my life. I just handle the lasagna.” 

Michelle placed a lingering kiss on his cheek.

“How are you feeling?” He asked as he gently pulled her legs across his lap and then absent-mindedly started rubbing her feet and calves. Peter always had to be moving, so when they were together he transferred that energy into touching her. It was automatic. She wasn’t even sure he realized he did it. 

"I feel like someone put my head in the dryer and then ran over my body with a truck repeatedly." She said sarcastically. Peter looked at her with concern. “Believe it or not, that is actually a huge improvement. I feel much better. Thank you, Dr. Parker.” She added with a smirk.

“Good.” They sat in a contented silence while Michelle ran her hand through his damp curls and he continued to rub away the knots in her legs and the stress in her heart.

"I still can't believe you met Captain America." Peter said after a few minutes.

"I know. He's so hot in person." It took Michelle's relaxed brain a second too long to remember to filter her comment and she looked up at Peter in shocked embarrassment. 

"He's what now?" Peter said with a chuckle. 

"Uh, he's really...um... so thought...uh....so thoughtful in person. Very considerate." She said while desperately trying to hide the blush that was staining her entire face. 

"Wow. No, I see how it is. You've got a crush on Cap. That's fine. I can take it." He bemoaned good-naturedly.

"Well you have to admit he's ridiculously good looking." She said honestly.

"I mean sure if you're into the whole blonde and blue-eyed Adonis thing then yeah I guess." Peter said dejectedly picking at his nails. Michelle was pretty sure he was still just kidding, but just in case she wanted to make sure he knew she only had one type.

His type.

"Nah. It's a bit much for me. I prefer skinny losers with brown eyes and overdeveloped hero complexes." She could barely contain her smile as his eyes returned to hers with a mischievous glint. 

"Skinny?" He asked incredulously failing at concealing his growing smile. She should have taken the way he deliberately took her coffee cup and placed it on the coffee table as a warning but as usual she was too distracted by his charming smile.

One second she was starting a sentence about how ‘skinny nerd’ was a compliment and the next she was writhing and laughing while being attacked by a very cute spider. 

"Ok.....stop....I take it back..I take it back." She wheezed as she tried defending herself from his tickling fingers.

Peter eventually stopped but not before planting a devastatingly naughty kiss on her lips. 

Yep. Definitely my type. 

When he pulled her back to an upright position, her head spun but she was pretty sure it was more from him than it was from the quick change in altitude.

"Anyway," she said a bit breathlessly as she grabbed her coffee and returned her legs across his lap. "It was really incredible to see them. After Ross passed that stupid freaking legislation, I wasn't sure I would ever see Nat again.”

"So, you knew Black Widow, or uh, Nat before?"

"Yeah, she was kind of my mentor in the agency. She mostly steered clear of a lot of the recruits but for whatever reason she took me under her wing whenever my parents weren’t there. I've been sparring with her since I was six. It's kind of insane now that I say it out loud. I remember just dreaming about being as much of a badass as her one day."

"Well, you succeeded." Peter said seriously, and it made Michelle’s fading blush return full force.

"Hardly. I only get that title if I take down an invading alien army, a sleeping terrorist organization, and a psychotic autonomous robot who can make cities fly all while holding together a barely stable group of narcissistic super humans."

"Well taking down the dinosaur and Frankenstein's lab should count for something."

"True. Although, you get all the credit for the dinosaur."

"That's not how teams work, Jones. Win together. Lose together." He said with a kind smile. She looked down at her knees and responded honestly.

"I guess I'm new to the whole teamwork thing."

"You? Not a team player? From the way you engaged in dodge ball, I would have sworn you loved team sports."

“Your hilarious.” She said dryly and punched him playfully on the chest. 

“Speaking of semi-organized group activities…how do you feel about bowling?”

“I’ve never been. Why?” Michelle said honestly as she took a giant sip of her coffee. 

Ugh. Coffee really was the nectar of the gods. 

“Never?” Peter asked surprised. 

“Nope.”

“Well, then we are definitely going.” He said confidently.

"I don’t know. There's still so much to do-" He interrupted her almost immediately.

"Michelle, between the two of us we captured Dr. Connors, developed an antidote for his serum, stole all the data regarding replication of said serum, destroyed the place it was produced, and crippled the supply of the radioactive species used to create it. I think we've earned a night off."

"But-"

"Nope."

"I-"

"Absolutely not."

"Peter!!"

"Look Michelle, no matter how incredible you are-and you are incredible. You're not superhuman." He softened the blow of his words by taking his hand and gently squeezing her knee. "You need to recover, and you definitely deserve to be a kid for a few hours. Besides, if it makes you feel better, you can count it as recon." 

“Recon?” She asked in confusion as she placed her empty coffee cup on the ground. 

“Harry got back this afternoon. Ned invited us all to go to the arcade as a welcome back party for him.”

“He’s back?” Michelle asked in surprise. She probably had a notification on her phone about that, but she had been way too preoccupied with sleep and then lasagna and then her handsome spider to open her notifications. 

“Yep, flight landed a few hours ago.”

“Well then, recon it is.” She conceded causing Peter to smile triumphantly.

“Speaking of recon, tell me about Dr. Connors. How did you end up capturing him?”

Peter recounted the entire tale of how he discovered Connors underground lab and learned of his plan to release the serum as an aerosolized weapon across the entire city using the Denali device. 

Apparently, Dr. Connors had reasoned that if everyone was special, then no one was and that became his ‘noble’ mission: to eliminate weakness across the entire population without discrimination or consent. Of course, by eliminate weakness he meant that he would turn everyone into alligators, but that hadn’t seemed like a big deterrent to him.

Peter, being the stupidly brilliant science nerd that he is, had stolen a vile of the serum and then broke into Oscorp to reverse engineer it. After a long and painful fight up Oscorp Tower, Peter had managed to release the antidote and reverse the effects of the serum for everyone who had been affected, including Dr. Connors. Back in his weakened human form, Dr. Connors hadn’t been hard to drop at the police station webbed with a note. 

'FOUND:

Giant Lizard Man a.k.a Dr. Connors 

Sorry about the damage.

Sincerely,  
Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.'

“Damn, I’m impressed Spider-Boy.” She said while snuggling even closer and laying her head on his shoulder.

“Are you ever going to call me by my actual name?” 

Michelle responded through a yawn.

“Probably not….nerd.” Peter just chuckled and shook his head.

As the caffeine began to kick in, her sluggish brain finally started to compute the information she was observing. Peter was sporting a fresh black eye that hadn’t even begun to heal.

She reached her hand up and gently placed it on the side of his face in a silent question. He turned and kissed her palm before answering. 

"I ran into some guys trying to rob a bank with baseball bats on my way home. We ended up disagreeing on the withdraw policy." He said smugly. Then he reached his own hand out and placed it on her own bruised face. She could only imagine what she looked like. She had been pretty bad off before, and that had been before those bastards had tortured her for hours.

She turned and kissed his palm, repeating his sweet gesture. 

“Are you really ok?” Peter asked softly while looking deeply into her eyes.

"Yeah. I am.” 

For the first time in years, it wasn’t a lie. 

She was stronger now.

She had thought for years that opening her heart to people would make her vulnerable and weak, but the exact opposite had been true. Since coming to Queens and opening herself up to friendships and love, she had never felt more confident and determined. There was hope where before there had only been pain and bleak resignation. She was finally able to look toward the future and let go of the specters of her past.

Falling in love with Peter had changed everything. The world had snapped back into focus and there was light and color around every turn and over every hill. 

She internally rolled her eyes at herself. 

When had she become such a hopeless romantic? 

“Thank you for...everything.” She said with a shy smile trying to pack into those four words all of the emotion and gratitude she had for Peter. 

She wasn’t sure why flash backs from the shower chose that exact moment to bounce through her head, but she couldn't help the blush that stained her cheeks. 

Had that actually happened or had it been some fever pitched dream brought on by severe exhaustion?

"You are most welcome." He said with a cocky and knowing smile as if he had read her mind. "Anytime really. It was no trouble at all." 

Oh, it had definitely happened.

She went to punch him in the chest again while rolling her eyes, but he caught her fist and then locked their eyes. Now that her belly was full and her headache had receded, there was nothing stopping her body from being trapped in the electric tension that coiled between them. 

Peter tugged her captured hand gently and Michelle leaned closer. Neither one had made a move to kiss the other right away. Both were content to be trapped in the delicious current coursing through them as their eyes spoke silently of love.

Peter’s eyes peeked down at her lips and Michelle bit down on her lower lip in anticipation. They moved with achingly slow restraint closing the distance between them millimeters at a time. When there was just a paper’s width between their lips and she could feel their breath rebounding off of each other’s faces, she let her eyes flutter closed. 

Peter’s lips brushed against hers so lightly that if she hadn’t felt the electricity course through her entire body she might not have known their lips had met at all. His hands traveled down to her waist and squeezed gently as their lips brushed again. Michelle couldn’t stand being apart from him for a moment longer and connected their lips firmly. Immediately, her heart rate speed up and her breath quickened.

Peter’s hands traveled down over her bottom to grab the very top of her legs and pull her over him and she quickly adjusted her legs so that she was now straddling his lap. The sudden movement caused Michelle’s breath to hitch and she buried her hands in his damp curls for stability as Peter devoured her mouth from below. His hands returned to her bottom and gave it a naughty squeeze with both hands causing Michelle’s core to clench and her thoughts to scatter. 

They were both lost an in instant, drowning in the heat that surrounded them. His hands pushed under the back of her shirt and roamed across her silky skin leaving goosebumps wherever they went. Just as she ground her pelvis into his lap searching for some friction he broke the kiss and looked up at her with blown pupils. Both of them were breathing conspicuously fast. 

“What’s wrong?” Michelle asked hazily. Peter was silent for such a long moment that she began to get nervous. 

“Is it my breath? Sorry. Lasagna and coffee are not a good combination.” She rambled self-consciously and made to leave his lap. He held her in place and shook his head.

“No, it’s not that.” Peter chuckled but quickly sobered and took one of her hands from his hair and placed it over his heart. Peter’s heart was pounding out a rapid rhythm that Michelle imagined could only be rivaled by her own. 

“This is what’s not ok.” 

“Yeah, it’s beating really fast. Mine is too.” She said shyly. 

“No, I mean. It hurts. It’s not…” Michelle’s eyebrows furrowed as she tried to understand what he meant. It was in moments like these that she remembered that they were just teenagers navigating their first love and stumbling through all the hurdles that their hearts kept blindly leaping over.

“Ugh, I’m not good with words. What I’m trying to say is that I feel like it doesn’t even belong to me anymore.” 

Her breath caught at his admission.

Could he mean? 

Could he feel as strongly as she did? 

Did she have his heart the way he had hers?

“What I’m trying to say is that it’s yours.” Peter said just over a whisper with a vaguely nervous expression on his handsome face. She was so happy that she probably could have written a book about all the things he made her feel but instead Michelle took his opposite hand and placed it over her own heart. 

“Mine too.” She whispered. Peter’s response was a big sigh followed by the biggest smile she had ever seen on his face. This time they closed the distance between them rapidly, racing to capture each other’s lips as their hands returned to each other crushing their bodies against one another. 

It was perfect. 

That same strange ancient feeling of wholeness returned and settled over Michelle. 

She was home.

He began to kiss down her throat as Michelle's hands played in his curly hair. A soft smile played on her lips at the sheer joy of being in the arms of the person she loved more than anything else in her life. He pushed his hands under her shirt and Michelle's back arched in pleasure as his mouth on her neck sent sparks straight to her core. 

Their hips began to grind in a rhythm that echoed a far more intimate act while their hands and tongues explored each other hungrily. He leaned her back in his arms and bowed over her to kiss across her collar bone where her shirt had fallen over her shoulder. One of his wandering hands had crept up and squeezed her breast tentatively causing her head to fall back as a soft moan escaped her swollen lips. 

She had never been more turned on in her life.

She grabbed his face and brought his lips back to her own and kissed him for all she was worth as her hands fisted in the back of his shirt and pulled. Their lips separated only long enough for his shirt to be tossed out of the way and then they were sealed back together. His hands were everywhere moving up and down her back, fisting in her hair, and grabbing handfuls of her ass while her own began to explore his chiseled torso. 

"You make me crazy." She said breathlessly. The hands that had been on her hips traveled around to squeeze her ass and brought her core flush against his own. At this new angle, Michelle could feel him pressed up against her through his jeans. She squirmed in anticipation and his hands came to her hips stilling her desperate movements.

Michelle squeaked as Peter suddenly stood with her in his arms and then laid her back on the couch all while barely separating their lips. She didn’t even have time to protest the dizzying change in position before he was kissing down her jaw and pressing down into her with his solid weight. Her own hands explored eagerly landing over his jeans on his toned bottom and pulling him even tighter to herself. 

His hands pushed her shirt up to just below her breasts and suddenly his lips were kissing a line straight down her torso. He went slowly seemingly savoring every inch of her while she thought her heart might actually fail from the sensations it was causing deep inside of her. When he made it below her belly button and was just about to reach the top of her boy shorts, his watch began to buzz persistently. 

They both groaned in annoyance and then laughed at their mutual frustration. 

“Does that thing have a do not disturb function?” She said. He placed a final kiss on her belly and then sat up leaving her bereft.

“I wish.” He grumbled tapping the screen to answer the call. 

“Pete! Tell me you are not bailing on bowling. Harry doesn’t actually believe that you have a girlfriend so can you please show up, so I can prove him wrong?” Michelle was surprised when it was Ned’s happy voice sounding from the other side of the line and not Karen’s. 

“Yeah, man. We are on our way, we just, uh, got a little caught up… in traffic.” Michelle had to squeeze her lips together to keep from laughing at Peter’s excuse. More like caught in each other, but Ned and Harry didn’t need to know that. 

“Ok, well hurry up. We’ll get a lane started.”

“Cool, see you in a few.” Peter said clearly relieved Ned didn’t press the issue of his excuse. 

“Traffic, huh?” Michelle said with a smirk.

“Would you prefer I tell him the truth?” Peter said cheekily.

“Ok, your right. Traffic was better.” Peter stood up and pulled her to her feet. He quickly pulled her shirt back over her torso and Michelle felt her face heat. It was strange considering what they had been doing on the couch not but a minute earlier, but now that the bubble of passion had burst she felt inexplicably shy.

“I’m, uh, I’m going to go change.” She said while stepping past him toward her room. He caught her gently with an arm while she was passing beside him and then kissed her forehead softly. He winked at her and then let her go.

She rushed into her room before the butterflies had even settled in her stomach. Michelle pulled on a bralette, a long sleeve t-shirt, and leggings that covered all of her bruises including the ones on her wrists and ankles. She shuddered as she remembered how she had gotten them and then quickly shook her head and went into the bathroom. 

Yikes. 

Her current appearance would definitely raise some question’s, so she pulled out the makeup she rarely used concealing and covering her bruised face. She bronzed and highlighted her face as fast as she could, so she didn’t look like a ghost and then finished off the look with some mascara. After brushing her teeth, hopelessly giving up on her damp curls, and pulling on her chucks, she ventured back out to the living room. 

Peter was standing by the window with his hands in his pockets when she arrived. 

Gosh, he was handsome. 

“I’m thinking about calling an Uber considering my girlfriend already made us thirty minutes late with her wandering hands.” He said with a teasing smile.

“Me? You kissed me first, bug-boy.” She said indignantly, as if either of them would have been able to keep their hands off each other regardless of who started it.

“That’s fair,” He said with a shrug as he crossed the room to take her hand, “But who could blame me when I get to kiss the most gorgeous girl in the world. You look beautiful.” He punctuated the statement by placing a firm but gentle kiss against her lips. 

When her brain had restarted, she led him over to the door and grabbed her keys off the rack.

“No, need for an Uber handsome. I’ll drive.”

*****

Peter was pretty sure that he would die from a heart attack before he was old enough to vote if Michelle kept this up. He watched in stunned amazement as she swung her long legs over the motorcycle and turned it on. 

“Hop on.” She said with a confident smile. 

His heart stopped. 

God, she was beautiful.

He swung his leg over the seat and wrapped his arms around her waist snuggling into her back. This may or may not have just became his favorite activity in the world. She looked over her shoulder and gave him a smirk as if she had read his mind and then kissed him firmly on his lips before engaging the clutch and revving the engine. 

“Hold on tight, Tiger.”

Yep. She was going to kill him. 

Michelle sped through the city getting them to the bowling alley in record time. He loved how fast she drove, fearlessly speeding around turns and through alley’s but he regretted that the ride was over so soon. She parked in an alley a block away from the bowling lanes and Peter and her walked hand in hand to the front door. Before their eyes had even adjusted to the dark room and the neon lights, Ned called out their names and waved them over to the furthest lane in the busy joint. 

Peter could feel how nervous Michelle was to be out in public and holding his hand, so he squeezed it in encouragement as he dragged her over to his best friends.

“See I told you they were dating. Pay up.” Ned said proudly to Harry as they approached.

“Damn. I’m impressed Parker. I didn’t think you would ever make it out of the friendzone.” Harry said as he pushed a twenty into Ned’s outstretched hand with his signature cocky smirk. 

Peter rolled his eyes and then hugged Harry tightly. 

“Welcome back, asshole.” Harry laughed and clapped him on the back.

“Thanks, idiot.”

Peter couldn’t remember the last time he had spent an evening just having fun with his friends. They of course loved Michelle and she fit so naturally into their group that it was almost like she had always been a part of it. 

The only down side was that he had to purposefully bowl terribly as to not draw attention to his superior strength and hand eye coordination. He could have bowled a strike every time but instead made his friends laugh with the seemingly endless ways he could roll gutter balls while feigning frustration. Michelle and Harry were currently tied for first and Jacob was about twenty points behind. Peter had barely made it on the score board.

“Honestly, if you want to give up now, I wouldn’t blame you. I know it can be intimidating to take on this level of greatness.” Harry taunted Michelle confidently. Peter could see the moment Michelle decided she was going to kick his ass and just shook his head. 

Harry would never learn. 

After Michelle bowled four strikes in a row and Harry finally accepted his fate, Ned and Michelle went to go get some drinks. 

“So, how was Europe?” Peter asked curiously when they were alone. He could see that Harry had changed but he couldn’t place his finger on how just yet.

“It was…eye-opening.” Harry said somberly taking a seat beside Peter. Harry rarely let his true self show, so Peter was surprised that he was doing so with such ease in this casual setting.

“How so?”

“I went and found my mom.”

“Woah, I thought you said you never wanted to see her again after she left.”

“I didn’t. But then I got to thinking about how unfair that was. I’ve never really talked about this but Norman is….was…well….really hard on her. I was so caught up in my own self-pity and expensive toys that I didn’t see how much it affected her.” He shook his head as if he could physically shake the evidently painful memories out. “Anyway, she emailed me through an encrypted computer at the boarding school and we actually met up. It’s like she is a completely different person now that she’s out of that God forsaken mansion.”

Peter clapped Harry on the back to show his encouragement but didn’t push him for more information knowing he would share it in his own time.

“She likes the same music as me. I never knew that and she’s smart too. Like crazy smart. All the tabloids are complete lies. She hasn’t been shacking up with her trainer’s in the Alps, she has been doing relief work in disease ridden and war-torn countries. She’s working on these vaccines, or really they are serums that boost the people’s immunity and protect them from most communicable diseases.”

Peter’s blood ran cold at the word serum. Was Harry’s mom somehow wrapped up in this too? How much did Harry know about his dad’s business and plan’s? Was this a trap? Could he trust his oldest friend or had Norman corrupted him too?

“Earth to Peter.” Harry said ripping Peter out of his internal dialogue.

“Sorry, just processing. That’s incredible man. I’m so glad you finally got to connect with her.”

“Yeah, it’s weird. She was in that house with me my entire life, but I feel like I just met her and where I thought I would resent her for leaving me behind, I’m mostly just proud of her for getting out.” 

“Why do you make that sound like you can’t?” Peter asked seriously. 

Harry’s eyes met his own and Peter saw a defeated type of anguish and a gut-wrenching fear that he had never seen in his best friend before. He sighed deeply and then continued in an even quieter voice as if he thought someone was listening.

“Pete, I’ve started to remember things. Things that I think I always knew deep down but for some reason kept forgetting…”

“What things Harry?”

Just as Harry opened his mouth to respond Ned’s voice shattered the fragile bubble of intimacy they had formed in the middle of the neon lights and laughing kids.

“So, they were all out of lemonade, but I got us Arc Reactor Mountain Dew and it came in these limited-edition Iron Man cups.” Ned and Michelle both walked up with giant novelty cups in their hands happily oblivious to the conversation that they had inadvertently interrupted.

Harry recovered before Peter.

“Figures you would pick the nerdiest thing on the menu.” He jested using his signature cockiness to cover the emotion hiding behind his eyes.

Peter looked up into Michelle’s eyes and knew she could immediately see his own inner turmoil.

“Who wants to check out the arcade?” Ned asked happily ignoring Harry’s harmless barb.

“You guys go ahead, we’ll catch up in a second.” Peter chimed in. Knowing he would need a minute to regain his composure. 

“Wow, you see that Ned. We’ve already been replaced.” Harry said with mock sadness. 

“I know. Here I thought it would always be bros before hoes.” Ned said dejectedly.

“Misters before sisters.” Harry added.

“Mates before dates.” Ned parried.

Michelle flipped them off and gave them such a dirty look that they both quickly turned and headed toward the air hockey machine laughing nervously. Peter just smiled. 

They were no match for a Michelle Jones stare.

“What happened?”

******

Michelle could see the wheels turning in Peter’s head.

“He knows more than I thought.” Peter said sadly. They both sighed heavily knowing how much more complicated that would make things. Michelle could see Peter’s fierce loyalty to his best friend battling with his duty to do the right thing. 

“You said it yourself. We’ve got a little time and besides he might give us the information we need on his own.”

“And if he doesn’t?” Peter asked with resignation. The honest answer was that SHIELD had ways of making him talk but she knew Peter already understood that and that was not what he needed to hear.

“Then we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.” She took his hand in her own and gave it a reassuring squeeze. 

“What if he’s involved? What if he’s been in on it this whole time and I was too stupid to see it? Even worse, what if he is completely innocent and his own best friend destroys his life irrevocably?.... I don’t want to hurt him, MJ.” Peter whispered with such a deep sadness that she felt her own heart break for his potential loss. 

She took her hands and placed them on his chin raising it so that he was looking at her with dampness gathering in his chocolate brown eyes.

“Whatever it is, we’ll face it together. I promise I will do everything in my power to protect him from the fallout.”

Peter leaned his forehead against hers for a few moments.

“Thank you.” 

*****

Oscorp Tower

Penthouse Suite

“Mr. Osborn, sir, without my lab, without my pets, I don’t know if I can finish the serum.”

Norman looked across his desk at the painfully skinny woman standing in front of his desk nervously twisting her hands together. Years ago, she had been his wife’s best friend and lab assistant, but he had changed all that. 

She was brilliant in her own right, but he found she thrived with attention and a firm hand. By attention, he of coarse means that he had fucked her seven ways to Sunday behind his wife’s back until she was obsessed with him and would do anything for him, including betray her only friend. Now all he had to do was throw her a compliment every once in a while, or barely touch her and she transformed into a pliant little puppy willing to obey his every whim. 

Pathetic.

“Patricia. There is no one I trust more than you. I know you can do this.” He said with false sweetness as he rounded the desk. “Look what you have already done with the interrogation serums. Senator Ross is thrilled with the results of our defense contract. He’s never gotten more results from drug injection then with your nasty little cocktails.”

He wasn’t lying either. The woman in front of him had made some of the most painful and effective interrogation drugs ever to exist. One hundred percent success on breaking the victims will. Of course, fifty percent of the test subjects died from cardiac arrest or severe psychotic breaks after exposure, but that only made the clean-up easier. The U.S. military was thrilled. So, were all the other countries and organizations he had sold them to on the black market. 

Business was good.

“Well, pain is my specialty sir.” Norman stood in front of her and petted down the intact side of her face. It was unfortunate what had happened at the lab. Half of her body was burned irrevocably by the explosions, if it hadn’t been for her self-experimentation she would have died. Instead, she had lived but half of her body was scarred beyond recognition. The healing factor she had isolated and injected in herself did work and she had healed at 200 times the normal rate. It hadn’t been perfect, she would always have the scars, but it had worked. 

Genius. 

He would be the most powerful man in the world when he completed this.

“Yes, it is. But I need you on this. Dr. Connors was close. We just need to synthesize the other traits into compatible strains and bond them with his serum. Most of the heavy lifting is done.”

“If you think I can, then I will.”

“Good girl.” He said while condescendingly patting her on the head. 

“As a reward, I’ll bring you the bitch that destroyed your lab. You can play with her as long as you want. She’d make a great test subject for Phase 2 of the hallucinogenic series.” 

He said it casually, but Osborn relished the blood-thirsty look that came over Patricia’s too big eyes. 

Maybe it was time for them to reconnect, but first he had to take care of another little problem that had developed over the summer. 

“One more thing, doctor.” She turned quickly. “I’ll need you to wipe Harry again. He seems to have regained some memories that I would rather he not have.”

“Whatever you want sir.”


	20. Towel

“And I’d choose you;  
in a hundred lifetimes,  
in a hundred worlds,  
in any version of reality,  
I’d find you and  
I’d choose you.”

-The Chaos of Stars

 

Shortly after Michelle and Peter rejoined their friends in the arcade, Peter’s good luck ran out and he was pulled away by an ever-looming Spider-Man emergency. 

He had wisely let Michelle handle the excuse. 

Moody Girl, Prince Harry, and Lego Man went their separate ways shortly thereafter. 

Michelle spent the next week at her father’s bedside pouring through the thousands of pages of intel from the decrypted hard-drive and only leaving to volunteer at the shelters. Her father was slowly improving but she could tell nobody in the medical team really believed he was going to recover and volunteering helped keep her mind in the right place instead of traveling down all of the bleak possibilities. In his weakened state, any infection or mistake could kill him and there would be nothing they could do to stop it, she wouldn’t allow herself to dwell on that. 

Michelle was growing antsy the more time she spent just passively reading intel. She had an ominous feeling like she was missing something and that it would cost her if she didn’t discover it. The only positive of all of the time spent reading the endless reports to the background music of her father’s heartbeat was that she was quickly becoming an expert in all things super serum related. 

Osborn had not only conducted years of his own research, he had also managed to get his hands on what seemed like all of the past research in existence in the field. He had compiled old reports from SHIELD, MI6, HYDRA, Soviet Russia, Chinese intelligence and every other intelligence and research apparatus across the globe from the last century. 

To say that he was obsessed with the serum’s development would be putting it lightly.

Michelle sighed and stretched her aching limbs. She was so stiff she felt like she had been frozen in carbonite for a year.

 

The last week had been a much-needed break for her battered body and mind. Unfortunately, she had been so busy that she had barely seen Peter. She hadn’t actually been with him in person for the last four days. Peter was buried in Spider-Man calls and they kept missing each other by mere minutes having to settle for measly goodnight texts unable to fully debrief what the other was learning. It was almost like all of the crime lords in New York were conspiring to keep them apart.

As it was, she hadn’t heard from him in 12 hours. 

Where the hell was he? 

The absence of his handsome smile and cheerful presence was making her grouchy. She loved that Peter and herself spent all of their time working and helping people, but if she didn’t get to hug her boyfriend soon, she was going to find a way to hack Karen and make him take a night off.

She missed her boyfriend.

After kissing her father on the forehead, she made her way down to the empty gym. It was nearly midnight on a Saturday night, so it was basically a ghost town. Although nothing would make her happier than getting some tension out with a long sparring match, she would have to settle for a long run and a few rounds with the punching bag. 

She might even tape a picture of Norman Osborn on it for added motivation. 

She ended up getting lost in thought during her work out and didn’t leave the compound till two in the morning, soaked with sweat and desperate for some sleep. Peter ignored two more of her phone calls, before she swung her boneless leg over her motorcycle and sped home. Storms of worry clouded her mind the entire time. 

Sure, he had been crazy busy all week, but he had always called or texted her back by this time. 

This wasn’t like him. 

Was she turning into a clingy girlfriend or was she appropriately worried?

Michelle trudged up the stairs to her apartment in her sweaty t-shirt and shorts dreaming about a hot shower. As she came out of stairwell, her blood went cold.

Her door was cracked open.

Adrenaline spiked through her veins as she noticed that the window at the end of the hallway was mysteriously open, letting the cool night air and the sounds of the city in from the outside. Tip-toeing toward her door, she slid the knife she had hooked on the back of her shorts out in preparation for a fight. 

The door creaked loudly as she pushed into her apartment and she mentally cursed her cheap land-lord for not fixing it months ago. The apartment was pitch black, but she could sense there was someone else in the space with her. Silently, she reached over and flipped on the light. 

As soon as the light flooded the space, she gasped. 

A trail of blood led across the cement floor to a crumpled form in front of the couch. 

Even without the red and blue suit, she would have recognized him instantly. 

“Peter!”

Please don’t be dead. Please don’t be dead. 

Panic coursed through her as she slammed the door shut and then raced to his side. It appeared that he had collapsed just inside the doorway and drug himself over to the couch and then just crumpled from a sitting position to the floor. 

She quickly righted his body and then ripped his mask off and started patting his face trying to bring him back to consciousness. 

“Peter, wake up. WAKE UP!” She anxiously begged him as her fingers felt for a pulse.  
It was strong but beating too fast for him to be asleep. 

She quickly analyzed his body and her eyes settled on two holes in his shoulder that had been haphazardly filled with webs but were still ominously oozing blood. 

Holy shit. Peter had been shot. Twice.

How long had he been here just bleeding out? 

From the amount of blood on the floor and on his suit, she estimated it had been too long. 

Why wasn’t he healing?

She tapped his wrist and activated his AI. 

“Karen, call Tony. Peter needs medical assistance ASAP.”

“Tony is out of the country. Would you like me to call EMS?”

“No!” Any involvement with EMS would result in a police investigation and then his secret identity would be revealed. Dr. Anderson was off base teaching at a field medic seminar for the Army and wouldn’t be able to make it here in time. 

She didn’t have anyone else she could trust with Peter’s identity. 

Ok. Take a deep breath. You have been trained for this.

She quenched the rising panic in her heart and went into field agent mode. Tapping the spider on his suit, she quickly pulled the suit down to his waist revealing his torso. She leaned his limp form forward against herself to see his back. There was only one exit wound meaning he still had a bullet in his shoulder preventing him from healing. It was also probably why he continued to dump blood down his torso. 

She felt along his back and could actually feel the bullet below a layer of muscle and tissue. 

She knew what she needed to do. 

After racing to her room and grabbing the medical kit SHIELD made all elite agent’s keep near their person, she returned to Peter who hadn’t moved from his slumped sitting position. When faced with his too still and too pale form she began to panic again.

Please don’t die. 

I can’t lose you.

Breathe Michelle. 

You have to do this.

She pulled out supplies with shaking fingers and then grabbed her knife feeling the knot in his shoulder again. 

“Ok, Peter. This is going to hurt like hell.”

Before she could lose her nerve, she sterilized the wounds and then placed gauze over his chest securing it with tape pushing Peter over until he was lying flat on his belly. The fact that he hadn’t reacted at all to the large move only added to her mounting anxiety. With a final deep breath, she made a deep cut through the muscle on his back with her sterilized tactical knife and then plunged her fingers into the wound. 

Her fingers rummaging through his tissue made a sickening squelching noise as blood poured from the wound anew. Just when she was about to give up and call an ambulance her fingers brushed against metal.

Oh, thank God.

She grasped the bullet with the very tips of her fingers and pulled it back out the hole in his back. After examining the bullet to make sure it was intact and that she hadn’t missed any fragments, she dropped it. 

Her heartbeat thundering in her ears almost drowned out the sound of it clattering across the cement floor.

She wiped the blood off her hands onto her t-shirt and then quickly began to stich the holes on his back. It wasn’t pretty, but hopefully his Spidey powers would prevent the serious scarring that would be there on anyone else. When his back was sterilized, stitched, and secured she rolled him over and did the same to the two holes on the front side of his shoulder. 

Michelle finally looked back to his face and became even more terrified. He was deathly pale and rapidly approaching a grey color as sweat poured from his skin. She felt his extremities and they were noticeably cooler than his core. 

He was in shock. 

He had lost too much blood. 

Think, Michelle. You know what to do.

She rummaged through the kit and pulled out the IV kit. She had always been shitty at getting IVs, but she knew she would have to find a way to replace some of his lost intravascular volume. She placed a tourniquet around his bicep and was relieved that tons of easily visible veins popped up. After squeezing her hands into fists in a futile attempt to stop their shaking, she punctured his skin with the needle and placed the intravenous line. Her medical kit only came with two liters of normal saline and she just prayed that would be enough when combined with his accelerated healing abilities.

She squeezed the two bags into him, rapidly infusing the colloids while praying the entire time that he would open his eyes. After the fluid was in, a little bit of his color returned to his cheeks and his body started to warm.

Michelle sat with her legs crossed holding his head in her lap and brushing his sweaty hair off his forehead while routinely checking his pulses and counting his respirations. Right when she finally allowed herself to take a deep breath and relax, his eyes flew open. 

Peter vaulted to his feet in an acrobatic move spinning 180 degrees and landing in a crouched position facing Michelle. His eyes were almost black because of how wide his pupils were dilated. 

He looked terrified. 

“He knows.” 

******

May was sitting awake at her kitchen table waiting for Peter to come home. He often spent the entire night out crime fighting and tumbled through his window just before sunrise. He only ever slept a few hours during the mornings and then would rush out to help at the shop or take pictures for the bugle. She shouldn’t be alarmed that it was three thirty in the morning and he hadn’t called, but something in her gut wouldn’t let her sleep. 

She had called him on the hour every hour for the last five and had gotten no response. He always responded, even if it was just a spider emoji or an automated reply from Karen letting her know he was still alive. 

She was already freaked out because she felt like someone had been watching her. May wasn’t an anxious woman, she had grown up in New York City and could handle herself. But for the last few weeks, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being followed. 

She hadn’t told Peter because she knew he already had way too much his plate. He was an incredible young man and she couldn’t be prouder, but he was going to work himself to death at this rate.

Besides, it was nothing. She probably just needed to lay off crime thrillers for a while. 

She had just stood to make her third cup of tea, when her cell phone began to vibrate across the worn kitchen table. 

She answered the call without even checking to see who it was.

“Peter!”

“May. Are you safe?”

“I’m safe Peter. Are you?”

She could hear Peter let out an audible sigh of relief and what sounded like him sitting heavily with a wince. 

“Peter?”

“I’m fine. I just….I was worried about you.”

“Why were you worried about me?” There was a long pause and then he responded.

“The less you know the better, but I will explain as much as I can in the morning. Just be safe please.”

“Peter, you’re scaring me. What is going on?”

“I love you, May. So much.”

“I love you to. Don’t hang u-” 

May heard the line disconnect before she could even finish her order. 

Then she dialed a number that she had never used.

*****

Michelle came and sat next to Peter where he was hyperventilating on the couch after hanging up with his aunt. 

“Peter its ok. Its ok. Just breathe.”

She rubbed his back and breathed deeply with him until his panic attack subsided. 

“I thought…. he might have already…. gotten to her. I thought…I thought that I was too late.”

“Who Peter?” He sucked a few heaping breaths into his lungs before responding.

“Osborn. He knows who I am Michelle. He knows how to hurt me.”

Michelle took a deep breath knowing that the stakes of this mission had just risen to nearly unbearable heights. Everyone Peter loved was in danger of Osborn now and they both knew he wouldn’t hesitate to kill them. 

She did know one thing that might allow him to breathe a little easier.

“I’ve had a protective detail on May since shortly after we started out on this assignment.”

“You what?” Peter asked incredulously whipping his head in her direction. 

Michelle had meant to tell him this at a different time in a much more controlled environment, but she figured there was really no right way to tell your boyfriend that you were having his aunt followed. 

“Two of the girls that she hired from the shelter for me were not actually victims. They’re agents.” Peter stood and started pacing in front of the couch seemingly unable to hold still while he processed the new information. His muscled torso flexed under the blood in various stages of drying as he paced her living room in his boxers. After what felt like ages, but was probably more like seconds, he responded. 

“You told them my identity?” There was no accusation in his tone but there was a note of betrayal underneath the question.

“No, of course not. They are much lower clearance agents who think that your mom is the long-lost daughter of a very powerful politician. I didn’t tell them they were protecting Spider-Man’s aunt.” When he didn’t immediately respond or stop pacing, she decided to continue explaining herself. “I figured you and Tony had security in place but after bringing all of this danger into your life, I felt like I had a responsibility to protect her too. She is vulnerable. She is the most obvious way to hurt you.” 

Michelle braced herself for his anger at her clandestine activities. 

It never came.

He grabbed her hand, pulled her to her feet, and then wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

“Thank you.” 

Michelle squeezed him back relishing the feeling of being back inside of his strong arms and sighing in relief that he wasn’t mad at her.

When they finally separated, Peter looked down her body and began to pat down her torso in panic as if he was looking for a wound. 

“Michelle are you ok?!?” Confused, she looked down to see all of the blood she had wiped on her shirt and had to admit it didn’t look good.

“It’s not my blood.” She assured him grabbing his frantic hands. When he still looked concerned, she lifted up her shirt to reveal no injuries but the healing bruising on her ribs. Peter dragged his hands down her perfectly intact torso and then finally took a deep breath. 

A moment later he looked down at his body in confusion. Realization dawned in his eyes and then he reached his good hand up to feel over the bandages on his opposite shoulder.

She had never seen Peter this off of his game. He was always hyper observant and one step ahead of everyone in the room, but he seemed to be processing information in slow motion. Michelle pushed him back towards the couch and helped him to sit before bringing him a glass of water and forcing him to drink it while she knelt in front of him observing him closely. 

“What happened, Peter?” His eyes looked haunted as they returned to hers. His only response was to tap the screen of web shooter disguised as a watch that he had returned to his left wrist.

“See for yourself.” He said and before she could ask what that meant, a projection shone out of his wrist onto a holographic screen between them. The blue tinted images began to move. 

It took Michelle a moment to realize what she was watching. She was seeing the world from Peter’s perspective behind the mask. She watched as he finished off a nasty looking group of thugs that had been robbing an apartment quipping about their performance issues and lack of coordination the entire time. 

She looked on in fascination as the angle of the camera tilted and pitched to the side until it bounced against the wood floor. A group of masked men approached what appeared to be an unconscious Peter and pulled a bag over his head blacking out the feed. The suit was still recording their conversations. 

“That was almost too easy. Daddy Warbucks is going to be thrilled we finally captured his little insect buddy.”

“Yeah, we are all getting bonuses this time.”

“Thank God that creepy scientist finally developed a tranquilizer strong enough for this thing. He is as strong as a mother fucker. Did you see how quickly he took out all of those men?”

“Those were x-special forces. I thought for sure they would have lasted at least a few minutes against him.”

Michelle looked through the blacked-out screen at Peter, who appeared deep in thought while continuing to listen to the unknown voices.

“What do you say we take a peek under that mask?”

“Do you think it’s an alien? What if it’s not even a mask and that’s just the way he looks.”

“What if he is burned all over like Deadpool?”

“Deadpool isn’t real, man. Those are just stories somebody made up to scare criminals.”

“Dude, he is definitely real. He killed my cousin’s entire drug ring last year.” 

“Whatever, let’s take a peek.”

“Don’t.” An authoritative voice sounded from enough distance that it sounded slightly muffled. It must have been the driver. “We were told to deliver him alive and untouched. I am not going to miss out on this pay day because you idiots couldn’t keep a secret.”

Mumbled assents sounded from around the back of the van and a few minutes later Peter’s body was dragged into an elevator and then deposited in an unknown location. She heard the sound of heavy medal clinking together and then bolts being tightened down.

“As promised, Spider-Man alive and untouched.”

“Excellent work gentlemen, your payment will be deposited momentarily.”

The sounds of guns firing with silencers sounded from every direction. Peter’s present form flinched at the noise. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the men’s compensation had turned out to be their lives. 

The picture suddenly reappeared when Norman Osborn himself pulled the bag off Peter’s head. Even in the distorted angle from how Peter’s head was hanging she could see that his body was strapped down by every extremity by thick metal restraints that had been bolted into the upright interrogation table. 

In the peripheral of the shot, she could see the lifeless bodies of the men who had made a deal with the devil and payed for it with their lives. Michelle swallowed thickly. 

Osborn slapped Peter a few times and then Peter’s head snapped up and he began struggling against his restraints. Michelle glanced through the screen to her own Peter and she could tell he was now reliving this part in his memories, unaided by the projection. 

“Good Morning, Spider-Man.” The overly smug man said with a sneer. “Did you have a nice nap?” 

Peter didn’t respond, and so Osborn punched him across the face. She cringed at the sound of his cartilage crunching.

“I have to say, I have been dreaming of meeting you for a long time. You could say I’m a bit of a fan.” Osborn’s wicked face was filled with barely contained glee as his hands reached forward toward Peter’s mask.

Peter’s efforts to escape redoubled but he was held firmly in place by the metal encasings. The image shorted out again and Peter paused the projection to fill in the gaps.

“Osborn knows who I am. He apparently had suspected it was me for a while but was just waiting for absolute confirmation. The entire thing was a trap from the beginning. He faked the apartment break in, made sure I would respond, and had multiple teams armed with powerful tranquilizers just lying in wait. I had a bad feeling about it the whole time, but the police call had seemed so real and I thought that there was a family inside. I played right into his trap and now he knows everything.” Peter hung his head in shame and Michelle squeezed his leg in encouragement, but she could tell this story was far from over. There was a weight on Peter’s shoulders that had not been there before. 

“Peter, what happened next?” With a sad sigh full of resignation, Peter tapped his wrist.

The image re-appeared and caught Osborn mid-sentence as he pulled Peter’s mask back onto his face.

“-with your blood, Peter, I should have no trouble finishing the serum that your parents denied me for all these years. It’s a shame I had to kill them for all this to happen.”

Michelle gasped, and her hand came over her mouth. Osborn admitted his crime so casually that if she hadn’t been paying attention she might have missed it all together. Peter’s video-body tensed against the restraints and he spoke for the first time, while his present form sat completely frozen watching the scene unfold. 

“What did you just say?” Peter’s voice filled the space and even through the video Michelle could feel the emotion and anger pouring from his captured form. Her body broke out in chills.

“Oh, you didn’t really think they died in an accidental plane crash, did you? That was all for the media’s benefit, as were my tearful videos harrowing their wonderful lives and contribution to society. Your parents had solved the mystery. They found a way to enhance human strength, cure disease, and extend lifespans and they thought they could hide it from me. Me, the person who funded their think-tank in the first place. Me, their supposed best friend and the person who owned the labs they discovered their breakthrough in.” The perspective of the video was following Osborn’s form as he paced around Peter’s restrained form stepping over bodies and pools of blood with his Italian designer shoes. 

He looked every part the debonair billionaire business man in his perfect three-piece suit while shedding his metaphorical skin to reveal that he had been the real monster of the story all along. 

“No, they weren’t going to get away that easily. I asked them nicely to share their finding’s, but they refused, so, I killed them and stole it anyway. Imagine my frustration when the formula only worked for a specific strand of DNA. You didn’t think it was by some random chance that that spider bite worked on you did it? You don’t think I had those spiders bite me thousands of times? No, your parents solved the greatest mystery of our generation and were so selfish, they made sure only you could have it.”

Michelle could hear Peter’s hitched breathing from the video and knew that he had been crying beneath his mask. Norman Osborn had murdered his parent’s in cold blood and he had to find out about it from that despicable man’s own mouth while strapped to a chair completely at his mercy. Michelle wiped the tears that had begun leaking from her eyes own for him and then tapped his watch and paused the video. 

“Peter?” She asked gently and met his damp eyes.

The anguish in his brown eyes broke her heart and before she could remember he was hurt Michelle launched herself at him wrapping him tightly in her arms. 

“I’m so sorry.” She whispered as he buried his head into her neck and crushed her to himself with his good arm. She kissed his head and his face over and over again as they sat holding each other and crying for lives lost long ago. When both of their breathing settled, Michelle pulled back enough to kiss him on his forehead, then his cheeks, then his nose (which made him smile), and then his lips. 

When their eyes finally met, Peter’s eyes had a glint of grim determination in them. 

“There’s more, Michelle.” He said through with a thick voice.

“We don’t need to do this right now, it can wait, Pete, if you need time.” She said gently as she pushed her hands through his sweat caked hair. 

“It can’t wait, Michelle. He took my blood. He has information that he didn’t before. He is closer than ever to finishing the serum. We can’t let that happen.”

“Ok.” She said with a sigh as she went to detangle herself and lean back to her kneeling position in front of him. Peter wrapped his good arm around her waist and picked her up placing her so that she was perched on his lap. 

“Peter! Stop you’re going to hurt yourself.” She admonished even as she snuggled closer. 

“I just want to be close to you.” He said quietly.

She couldn’t argue with that, so she sighed and then tapped his wrist, unsure if she really wanted to see what happened next. 

The video continued with Osborn’s voice still droning away. 

What was it with villains and their drawn-out monologues?

“Anyway, I figured you’d like to watch this next part with a little privacy. Wouldn’t want to lose your secret identity and your best friend in one night, would you?”

The door’s opened and two guards pushed a very angry Harry Osborn through the door. 

“Ah, Harold. Thank you for joining u-“

“You son of a bitch.” Harry cut his father off and marched across the room. 

Harry stopped short when he noticed the bodies littering the floor and Michelle watched as the blood drained from his young face. He didn’t look surprised by his father’s nefarious late-night activities. He looked resigned. 

“So, you’re not even going to hide it then?” The younger Osborn said indicating the six bodies on the ground.

“They knew too much son, I couldn’t afford for them to leave this room. One day, I will teach you the importance of compartmentalization.”

“Well, then I guess you are going to have to kill me too, Dad, because I remember everything. I remember you beating up mom, I remember all those angry phone calls behind closed doors, I remember finding the file on Peter’s parents.” Harry marched forward and grabbed his father by the front of his suit. Norman motioned for his body guards to stand down as Harry continued his tirade. 

“How could you dad? The Parker’s were your best friends! Our families did everything together! You destroyed so many lives. Peter grew up without parents, why? All so that you could be richer? All so that you could have some fucked up delusion of being a god? And what now your killing off local heroes just to rob the public of the little hope they have left. What the fuck did Spider-Man ever do to you? And Mom. God, you let me think she was some ice-cold bitch who never wanted anything to do with me. How could you beat mom up for so many years? She loved us, even after you nearly killed her. I know she did.” Harry’s original anger gave way to anguish and his voice cracked as he finished his sentence.

Norman’s hands came up to cradle his son’s face in a poor imitation of an affectionate gesture. 

“Oh, Harry. Your greatest weakness is that you feel way too much. If you were smarter, you would have thought through all of that information and realized what I am trying to accomplish. This serum will be the Osborn legacy. Our name will be synonymous with power for generations to come. We will be a dynasty and you my son will be its leader one day.” Osborn wiped the angry tears that had escaped his son’s furious eyes. 

“I will never be a part of this.” Harry’s voice shook but Michelle couldn’t remember ever seeing him so strong. “You will die before it ever comes to fruition.” Harry said the words with such certainty it almost sounded like a promise. 

He couldn’t possibly mean that he was going to kill his own father, that wasn’t in his nature. 

Was it?

Michelle watched in fascination as an unknown conversation passed between the eyes of the two generations and felt not for the first time like she was missing a big piece of the puzzle.

Harry pushed himself away from his father and turned to storm out of the room when Osborn’s voice called out across the otherwise eerily silent room.

“Restrain him.” Harry struggled and fought as two men captured him and then forced him to his knees facing his father, staring up at him with so much hatred and fear that it caused goosebumps to break out across Michelle’s skin. 

“Are you going to kill me to dad?” Harry asked with cocky smile that did a poor job of hiding the fear in his eyes. “You would be doing me a favor. I’d rather die than grow up to become like you.” Norman backhanded his son across the face so hard that the snap sounded across the room like a gunshot.

The older Osborn straightened his suit coat and then reached into his breast pocket. For a chilling second, Michelle thought he was reaching for a gun and was actually going to kill his own son. Then she breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled out a phone instead and put it against his ear.

“I’m ready for you.”

Ready for who?

Her question was answered a moment later when the doors to a private elevator opened and a rail thin woman in a white lab coat limped across the room. In the video, Spider-Man’s eyes zoomed in on her face to reveal that half of it was severely burned. She also appeared to be wearing a wig. The combination of the two facts had prevented Karen from getting a positive identification. 

She carried two brightly colored syringes across to Osborn and then handed him the one with a viscous purplish liquid filling it’s chamber. 

“I doubled the strength of the formula, he won’t remember anything, Mr. Osborn. We’ll have the hypnotist give him false memories when he wakes up again.”

Harry’s and Peter’s efforts to escape redoubled and Michelle watched in horror as Norman stabbed the large needle into the back of his own son’s neck and emptied the entire contents of the syringe into his spinal cord. 

Harry screamed and grabbed his head as if it was on fire and then collapsed to the ground writhing in pain. 

“Take him to his room.” Norman said with a clipped tone and then turned to the scary woman.  
Michelle actually wanted to vomit when she saw the mutual attraction simmer between the two maniacal villains.

So, Lab Coat’s motivation in all of this was clear. The psychotic woman was clearly in love with Norman Osborn, which meant she was either totally morally bankrupt or completely insane. 

Michelle was willing to bet it was a combination of them both.

“Would you like to do the honors?” Norman asked her while condescendingly petting her head.

“Yes, sir.” The woman took the other vile and then walked straight through the bodies to Peter’s trapped form. “This might sting a little.” She said with a wicked smile. 

The perspective of the video panned down as the woman stabbed the needle into his chest and depressed the plunger until the syringe was empty. 

Peter’s heads up display began to shake around violently and the room filled with the sounds of his anguished screams. 

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.”

Michelle was numb with fear as red lights appeared across the video indicating that his heart rate was reaching extremely dangerous levels. 

She leaned forward feeling Peter’s anguish and fearing for his life, even though logically she knew he was alive and had his arm around her at this very moment. She had never heard someone scream like that for that long. Especially, not Peter. He was so strong. 

What the hell had she done to him?

Finally, after minutes of writhing and screaming, the perspective stilled as he must have forced himself to calm down. The perspective of his head showed his chest heaving in deep breaths and his limps shaking from exertion. 

“Come on, Peter. Come on Spider-Man.” Peter’s pained voice whispered to himself. 

The next moment the metal restraints around his knees and ankles began to bend slightly and then snap all together. Peter used both legs kicked the woman in the chest launching her across the room. 

Yes!

Norman looked shocked, but instead of checking on the woman’s crumpled form, he ran towards his desk to retrieve a gun. Peter strained and struggled until he finally pulled his arms out of the restraints with a loud bang. He collapsed forward barely catching himself before his head smacked into the ground. 

His vitals were still off the charts. 

Four guards rushed his location firing their weapons and she watched in amazement as Peter dodged bullets while webbing their guns and hands. 

Next, Peter charged Norman tackling him to the ground and knocking his gun away from his hands. Without pausing, Peter began punching Norman in the face, again and again and again. 

Michelle helplessly watched as Peter wailed down on the despicable villain. She didn’t care of Norman died but she knew Peter would never be able to live with himself. Just as she was about to yell at the screen for him to stop, forgetting once again that this had already happened, Peter’s fists paused in the frame. 

He turned them over a few times seeming to finally register the blood on them and then rolled away from the semi-unconscious man beneath him. 

“You will pay….” Peter paused to suck air into his lungs, “…for what you’ve done, Osborn…but not like this.”

The beaten man laughed and coughed up blood. 

“Too weak to finish the job, even with your parent’s magical powers. They would be so disappointed in you, Peter.” He said condescendingly as he spit blood onto the ground.

“He’s not worth it.” Peter whispered to himself.

Peter’s video shook as he pushed to his feet and began limping toward the window breathing way too hard when another round of gun fire could be heard crashing through the silence. Peter turned just in time to see Osborn firing directly at his heart. Michelle heard the sickening thuds of two bullets entering his shoulder and then watched as Peter charged through the glass and leapt into a freefall from the penthouse suite of Oscorp tower.

She watched in a transfixed haze as he swung home. The entire time Karen was urging him to get help. Whatever toxin the woman had injected into him was causing a sustained release of dangerous levels of cortisol, keeping him in a heightened state of fight or flight. Peter’s breathing was labored, and his movements got sloppier and sloppier until finally she recognized her own building in the video. He came through the window and trudged to her apartment breaking the door handle and then crumbling forward. 

The perspective of the camera was once again sideways at the level of the floor.

A small weak voice sounded from the screen. 

“Help me.”

“Michelle?”

In the deafening silence that followed, it became clear that Peter had passed out. 

Peter tapped his wrist and Michelle sat stunned just processing everything she had just seen. 

“I’m not sure what she gave me, but it felt like she poured fire into all of my veins. I’ve never felt pain like that in my entire life, I thought I was going to explode. I didn’t even feel myself get shot, it didn’t even register in my mind behind all of the other pain.” Michelle turned and kissed him on the forehead, wishing she could have taken away the pain even as her mind recognized his description of it.

“I think I know what it was.” Michelle said almost to herself. She looked up at Peter’s questioning glance and then continued. “One of Osborn’s scientist, Patricia Blackwell, has worked for years developing serums for the government for enhanced interrogation. They are comprised of isolated toxins from plants and venomous species around the world that elicit unparalleled pain in the recipients. The serums are more than one hundred-percent successful in extracting information, but they kill more than half the subjects.”

“Well, that explains why that stung a little bit.” He said with a teasing smile. 

“Don’t joke. You are lucky to be alive. Especially considering the amount of blood you dumped all over my apartment.” Peter looked over to what could have been a murder scene in front of the couch.

“Sorry about that.” A sad smile played across his lips and then he looked up to her. “Looks like you saved me, Dr. Jones.” She let out an amused snort before responding.

“Well, I owed you one, but don’t make a habit of it.” She said while cupping his face and placing a soft kiss against his lips. 

“Deal.” She rested her forehead against his and just sat there thankful that he was in one piece.

“What are we going to do Peter?” 

*****

Peter was tinkering with her door jamb trying to repair the damage he had done to the lock while watching Michelle clean out of the corner of his eye. 

She was working away while processing strategies out loud. She was in a bloody white t-shirt and some short black running shorts that barely covered her bottom. Her hair was sweaty and piled on top of her head in a haphazard messy bun, but he swore she was a breathtaking as ever. 

God, he loved her. 

Fear coursed through his veins keeping him on edge. He was terrified more than ever that he wasn’t going to be able to protect her from Osborn. 

A brief thought that he should have killed that monster when he had the chance flickered across his mind before Ben’s voice captured it and destroyed it. 

He could never cross that line. 

If he crossed that line, he would be no different than Osborn and he would have already lost the battle.

He would just have to find a way to protect his family without reverting to those darker methods.

He double and triple checked the security Tony and him had placed around May’s apartment and made sure that the miniature spider she wore on bracelet was accurately tracking her. Then he programmed Droney to watch the perimeter of Michelle’s apartment while they finished cleaning up. 

He already had too many lives on his conscience. He couldn’t handle another.

He yawned as he examined the busted lock on her door. The emotional and physical toll of the past week was finally catching up to him. 

“I’ll fix this in the morning.” He said guiltily as it became clear he had done irrevocable harm to the door and molding when he had broken into her apartment.

“I’m not worried about it, Tiger.” She said as she placed the rinsed bucket back in the pantry. If he hadn’t of turned at that exact moment, he would have missed her wiping tears from her eyes quickly while her back was to him. Her voice hadn’t betrayed her emotion at all. It made him sad that she was still so good at hiding how she felt behind her carefully constructed walls.

“Michelle?” He asked quietly. 

“What’s up? Are you feeling okay?” She put on a brave smile and then turned around trying to hide her inner turmoil in concern for him. Peter ignored her question and walked across the room placing a hand on her cheek.

“What’s wrong?” Michelle wouldn’t make eye-contact with Peter and it was making him nervous.

“Nothing. Just tired. I’m going to go start your shower.” She kissed the palm of his hand and then fled quickly into the bathroom. 

Peter followed her retreating form.

“Here are some towels and I think I have some sleep pants that will fit you. I’ll leave them on the counter.” She said too quickly as she turned the shower on and made to leave. 

Peter couldn’t bear to let her walk away. 

He gently grabbed her wrist and then wrapped his good arm around her. He had been dreaming of having a few moments alone with her all week and he wasn’t going to waste them now that he had them. She hugged him back tightly almost as if she was afraid he was going to disappear. A few moments later her heard her sniffing quietly.

He leaned back and used his hand to tilt her chin up and hold it in place when she tried to hide her tears. He used the back of his index finger to wipe away the damp trails.

“MJ?” He asked again hoping she would tell him why she was crying so that he could fix it. 

That’s what he did. 

He fixed things. 

He didn’t like when he didn’t know what the problem was.

“I thought I lost you.” She whispered brokenly. After taking a shaky breath and sniffing loudly she continued. “When I came in, you were so still and pale and I…I thought….you…and I couldn’t call anyone…” She squeezed her eyes shut and more tears escaped her blood shot eyes.

His other shoulder hurt like hell, but nothing could have stopped him from wrapping her tightly in both of his arms.

“You haven’t lost me. You saved me.” Michelle crushed his body to her own and it seemed to take her a few long deep breaths to assure herself that he really wasn’t going anywhere. 

“Don’t let go.” She packed years of pent up vulnerability and anxious hope into the whispered statement. 

“I never will.” He promised. He never could. She was his soul mate. It would always be her. She was the beginning of his story and she would be the last page. 

Peter and MJ. Always.

After a few long moments soaking in the emotions pooling around him, he pulled back unable to resist kissing her on the lips. It had been so long since they had kissed that he had almost forgotten how intoxicating it was. Almost. 

The low frequency hum that always seemed to connect them when they were in the same space heated and coiled as their lips began to dance. Michelle buried her hands in his hair and tugged him closer. He swore he could feel her pressed against every inch of his body.

Electricity danced across his skin causing all of his hair to stand up as his heart relished in the feeling of having her close again.

“I missed you.” He whispered against her chin as he kissed across her neck to the spot under her ear that always made her sigh. 

“I missed you so much.” She replied through a sigh when he had reached her favorite spot. 

He loved making her do that. 

She tugged his head back up and captured his lips devouring him as hungrily as he was her. He loved how passionately she kissed him. She kissed him like she would suffocate without his lips on hers. Sometimes it felt like that was true.

God, she was so sexy.

Before his brain had even given it permission, his good arm contracted around her waist and lifted her feet off the ground. He took two steps and then set her on the edge of the bathroom counter. Her legs came up around his hips automatically. 

“Stop picking me up.” She said breathlessly as his now free hand pushed her chin back exposing more of her perfect neck to his kisses. “You are going to pop your stitches.”

“Worth it.” He said with a smile and then returned his hand to her hair and recaptured her lips. Her own hands traveled down his back as she ground into him. His body was on fire. His body already felt everything at heightened levels, but Michelle’s body seemed to be particularly stimulating. He was acutely aware that he was only in boxers and that if they didn’t stop soon she was going to be feeling a lot more than she had bargained for. 

That moment came a few seconds later when she grabbed his butt with both hands and squeezed while biting down on his lower lip and letting it drag through her teeth. She smiled knowingly as his lip popped out of her greedy mouth and he couldn’t resist grabbing her chin and holding her in place while pushing a firm kiss into her lips.

With their mouths occupied, their hands continued to explore and before he knew it his hand had traveled up the back of her shirt and underneath the strap of her sports bra. She leaned back, and Peter felt his heart speed up as she smiled shyly at him. 

Then it stopped altogether when she pulled her shirt up and off. 

Before she had even gotten the shirt over her head he leaned forward and started kissing down the line of her bra strap as his hand dipped into the back of her shorts and squeezed a handful of her ass pulling her back to flush against him. 

She buried her hands in his hair and held him to her chest in a way that he was pretty sure would kill him one day. He kissed over her bra and she let her head fall back against the mirror with one of her breathless moans. 

The noises she made were so soft that he was pretty sure if he hadn’t had heightened senses he might not even be able to hear them. He had never been happier to have super powers. She pushed him back and before he could voice his frustration at the interruption, she had disposed of her bra too. 

He brought her mouth back to his by burying his hand in the hair at the nape of her neck and tugging her closer. 

“You are…supposed to...be showering.” She said between kisses as her hands explored his torso. She had a point, but then again, she had just taken her top off, so there was no way he was letting her go that quickly.

Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, Peter effortlessly scooped her up and walked directly into the shower pushing her up against the wall under the steady stream of steaming water. He kissed down her chest and captured one of her nipples in his mouth while his hand grabbed her other breast gently.

She was perfect. There was nothing and no one in the world that was more beautiful to him than her. It was like God had carved every inch of her perfectly for him. 

“That’s not exactly what I mea…” Her statement was cut off when he nipped at her breast and the air left her lungs in a whoosh. 

He didn’t know what had gotten into him, something about the stress of the constant threat to their lives seemed to heighten his need her. He had planned on taking things very slow with Michelle, but suddenly it was as if he couldn’t stop. He had to be as close to her as possible. He had to feel her while there was still time and if the way she was grinding and moaning against him was any indication, she felt exactly the same.

She panted shallowly as he kissed across to her other breast. He took both of his hands under the waistband of those infuriatingly tiny black running shorts that had been teasing him all night and pushed the wet fabric off her hips revealing her gorgeous long legs. They hit the floor of the shower with a satisfying smack just as he captured her other nipple in his mouth. He reached his hand out and grabbed the body wash squirting a generous amount in his hands which quickly began to explore her body.

His hands went up and down her back and then down over hips to her perfect butt, which he played with for a while loving the way her hips canted against his own. He was tugged away from her chest and quickly found her lips on his own just as one of his hands traveled around and cupped her core under the guise of cleaning her while the other hooked around her back keeping her flush against him.

She pulled back and they looked into each other’s eyes as he played with her gently. Her pupils had gone wide while her full lips formed an “O” and he couldn’t remember ever wanting anything more than to make her fall apart in his arms. 

He removed his hand to reach for the shampoo and tugged her forward until she was fully under the water and her hair was soaked. He pushed his shampoo filled hands through her hair with a small wince. He had forgotten about his shoulder in the midst of all of the adrenaline and endorphins. 

“Peter, you are supposed to be resting.” She swatted his hands away from her hair and started lathering it up herself. He pouted at being interrupted. He loved taking care of her. He craved it.

“Your shoulder shouldn’t even be getting wet right now…uhh what are…you…ahh.” He knew he wasn’t going to win this argument with her if he didn’t fight a little dirty, so he dropped to his knees and started kissing down her belly.

“Pete, I’m serious, you cant-“ Her words stopped abruptly when he took one of her legs and hooked it over his uninjured shoulder effectively exposing all of her to him. He winked at her and then leaned forward and placed a kiss directly onto her clit. Her sudsy hands pushed through his hair a moment later as her back arched pushing herself even closer to his mouth. 

Nothing had ever tasted better. 

Peter had no clue what he was doing but he decided he would let her reactions be his guide and so he just continued to do everything with his mouth that made her heart rate speed up, and her hips jolt, and her hands pull his hair. Before he knew it, his hair had been fully washed from her soapy hands tangling through it and her legs were trembling so hard that it shook his shoulders slightly.

Nothing would ever be as breathtaking as Michelle Jones throwing her head back and calling out his name as she shattered in his arms. 

*****

“Peter.” Michelle moaned in ecstasy as all of the insane sensations collided in a crescendo to give her the most exquisite release that spread from her core to every cell from her head to her toes and then back again. When her brain finally rebooted after briefly becoming a pool of hormones and endorphins, she felt ridiculously sexy and a lot in love.

Holy hell.

After a few more deep breaths enjoying the ebbing waves of sensation, she looked down into his big brown puppy dog eyes and saw all of her emotions reflected back at her. 

“Was that okay?” He asked with a small amount of worry in his eyes. Michelle was having trouble formulating words so instead of speaking she lowered her leg to the ground and pulled Peter up to a standing position and attacked his mouth. There was something so delectably indecent about devouring his mouth after it had been all over her that she felt herself get impossibly more turned on. 

“That wasn’t even in the same universe as okay.” He tilted his head and furrowed his brow in question. So, she added. “I don’t think I have words for how good that felt baby.” A proud smile spread across his reddened lips and before she knew it she was pressed up against the wall by his body being passionately kissed senseless. 

Michelle couldn’t ignore the bulge pressed up against her. 

While he was distracted with her mouth, she let her hands travel down to the waist band of his soaked boxers and pushed them over his hips kicking them over to join her shorts in the corner of the shower. She reached over and grabbed the body wash and began to wash his arms, chest, back, and abdomen. Before she could lose her courage, she reached down and took him in her hand gently.

Peter’s entire body tensed, and his breath whooshed out of his lungs against her mouth. Michelle had never felt anything like it. It felt like hard steel covered in silk and her curious nature caused her to squeeze it. His body jolted with a slight wince.

“Sorry, I have no idea what I’m doing.” She rambled nervously, and he just smiled and placed a sweet kiss on her lips. 

“Try this, baby.” He covered her hand with his own and showed her what felt good before kissing her again. His own hand returned to bury into her hair while hers continued to stroke up and down his length. She was so entranced in the way he was devouring her mouth that she hadn’t even realized that she had significantly sped up her pace until Peter groaned into her mouth.

“Michelle…that feels so… good.” Emboldened by his whispered words she kissed across his jaw and kissed all the way to his ear. She sped up her hand even more and then gently bit his ear lobe and let it drag through her teeth.

Peter groaned while he buried his head into her neck and then slapped the tile wall of the shower beside Michelle’s head as he came. 

Michelle felt a strange sense of feminine pride flow through her at making her boyfriend loose it in her hands for the first time. She released him and then wrapped her arms around him snuggling as close as possible loving the intimate cocoon they were encased in. 

When Peter finally caught his breath, he leaned back and then put both of his hands on her face.

“You are perfect, you know that?” Before she could deny the sweet compliment, he kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her nose (which made her smile), and finally her lips. 

They took their time finishing cleaning up and only left the shower when the water began to cool and their fingers began to prune. After helping each other dry off, Michelle removed the soaked gauze from Peter’s shoulder and scolded him gently when she saw that it was oozing slightly. 

He couldn’t have seemed to care less about the holes in his shoulder and continued placing soft kisses on every inch of her face as she redressed his wounds. 

He wrapped a towel around her torso and kissed her forehead. 

She pulled one around his waist and placed a kiss over her heart. 

Michelle relished in the sensation of being at home as she held his hand and pulled him towards the bathroom door. She had always desired to find a place to call her own and settle down between missions. It had never been a place she had been yearning for. 

It had been a person. 

It had been Peter. 

He flipped the light in the bathroom off just as she turned back around snaking her hands around his generously muscled torso tugging him with her. He leaned down and began kissing her in the sweetest most intimate way. They hadn’t been able to stop touching each other and Michelle felt her heart grow impossibly more in her chest as she backed them through the living room towards her bedroom. 

She was so entranced in kissing him that she didn’t realize they weren’t alone. That is until she had her tongue in her boyfriend’s mouth and the lights in the living room came on. 

It took her eyes a few seconds longer than Peter’s to adjust, but when they did she felt herself shrivel into a ball of embarrassment. 

“Definitely should have fixed the lock.” Peter whispered while disentangling himself from her shocked arms. 

Two adults stood just inside her doorway with angry expressions painted across their faces and their arms crossed tightly over their chests. 

She had just been caught making out with her boyfriend in nothing but a towel by May Parker and Happy Hogan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus points if you can find a Star-Wars reference in this chapter :)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it! 
> 
> <3


	21. Emily

“I was always a thing that was going to happen to you, the lightning that would strike on a day that came with no thunder, and all the shelter in the world couldn’t have saved you. 

All my life I’ve been making my way to you.”

-Tyler Knott Gregson

 

Ok. 

I don't want to be dramatic but…. is it possible to actually die from embarrassment?

"Peter." May said calmly. "We need to talk."

"Damn right, we need to talk. What the hell has gotten into you?" Happy added with an accusatory finger pointed at Peter. 

Peter put his hands up defensively as if he was taming a wild animal as he walked slowly towards his irate authority figures.

"I understand that this looks bad, but I promise it's not what you think."

"Sit." May said nodding toward the couch. The one word packed so much commanding energy that Peter and Michelle sat down immediately. Initially, they sat right next to one another, then at Happy's glare they both shifted until there was a solid two feet between them. Michelle was sure her face was a color of red that rivaled Iron Man's suit.

At least he's not here. 

"Peter, what is going on?" May asked blankly staring between the two ruby faced teens. Michelle had undergone every type of interrogation imaginable and not given up a word, but she had never been on this end of an angry aunt. For some reason, May’s fierce stare broke into a part deep within her that was searching for approval and it prompted her to start rambling. 

"We showered together…” The words were out of her mouth before she realized what she was doing. Peter’s head whipped to Michelle’s in surprise and she hoped her eyes were communicating how panicked she was. He seemed to understand because he picked up where she left off.

“It was a stressful night and our emotions just got away from us, but I promise nothing happened…” 

“This doesn’t look like nothing Peter.” May stated firmly. 

“We didn’t…just…believe me.”

“Well, I would have an easier time believing you if you were not sitting half naked in a towel on your girlfriend’s couch.” Happy interjected. Peter groaned in embarrassment.

“Happy stay out of this, this is none of your business.” Peter stated with frustration. Michelle’s body couldn’t handle the embarrassment any more. She physically felt sick listening to the Parker’s and Happy bicker back and forth about what may or may not have happened in the shower.

“I’m a virgin.” 

Holy Shit. Did I really just say that out loud? 

I don’t want to be alive any more. 

Everyone in the room was apparently as shocked by her outburst as she was because nobody spoke or moved for what felt like ages. May finally mercifully responded.

“Right. Ok. Good.” May said looking slightly relieved. “It’s not that I don’t think you guys shouldn’t ever… I was just hoping to have a conversation with you both before you did. I’m sorry I freaked out and went into total momzilla mode.”

“I would have come to you first. If we were ready for that, but we haven’t even talked about that ourselves. I respect Michelle too much to go that far without having really thought it through, okay?” Peter said quietly.

“Me too.” Michelle added softly.

“Good.” May said with an affirmative nod. 

Everyone awkwardly fidgeted for a few seconds not sure how to dig themselves out from under the ten-ton elephant in the room. 

“May, why did you call Happy?” Peter asked quizzically. 

“I didn’t.” May said seriously.

“Then why are you here? No offense.”

“I just came to deliver the suit.”

“What do you mea-“ Peter’s question was answered a moment later when a heavy metal clomping sound approached her door. 

What the hell? 

A moment ago, Michelle had been sure that she couldn't get any more embarrassed than she was in her current state. That theory was decisively disproven when the door to her apartment swung open sharply. 

She actually felt like she might be sick.

Iron Man walked through her door with his signature swagger slamming the door behind him with a thud. 

Her neighbors were going to kill her. At this point, she would gladly let them.

Michelle buried her face in her hands. Could this night get any worse? 

"You called Tony?!?" Peter asked in shocked embarrassment. Iron man's face mask popped open to reveal it was an empty suit, which made Michelle feel only slightly better. 

“What’s up Pete? Are you seriously having a toga party without me?”

“Of all the People you could have called to give me the sex talk, you chose him?” Peter questioned in disbelief. 

“I didn’t call him to give you the sex talk, Peter.” May groaned in frustration. Michelle recognized the mannerism immediately from when Peter used it with her. “I called him because you were scaring me. I didn’t know I would find you half naked with Michelle. I thought you were lying in an alley somewhere in New York dead for half the evening and then you called me frantically asking if I was alright. I need to know what’s going on and since you never talk to me, I brought the one person you can’t lie to.”

“Honestly, I’m just hurt you didn’t invite me over for the sex talk. I have some really great tips.” Tony’s voice sounded confidently.

Happy facepalmed, May rolled her eyes, and Peter and MJ got impossibly redder. 

“Another time, I guess. Nobody appreciates my expertise anymore. Woah, so this is THE girl?” Tony asked in a whisper why pointing at her non-discreetly. “I have to say It's really great to put a face to the name Peter can’t shut up about. I'm Tony.” The Iron Man clomped over toward Michelle and stuck out his metal hand. She placed her own hand in the giant metal one and shook it firmly. 

"Uh…Michelle Jones." 

"Peter, I have to say I'm shocked by your behavior." The Iron Man's hand reached out and ruffed Peter's damp hair. "I thought I taught you how not to get caught with the ladies."

"Tony! Do not encourage him!" Happy yelled outraged at his boss's casual joking. 

"Oh right. Uh… you better have used protection, young man." Tony said adopting a fraudulent authoritative tone.

"He's not even 17 yet Tony." Happy parried. 

"What's wrong with that. I was 14 when I-" Tony's voice was cut off momentarily. 

Michelle took the opportunity to appreciate the absurdity of getting the sex talk from Iron Man and his head of security while sitting next to Spider-Man in a towel. 

"Pepper has informed me that I should not finish that sentence."

"Honestly, why don't you just put Pepper on the phone. You are clearly not the right person to be giving the responsibility speech."

"I'm offended." Tony said in a manner that clearly revealed he was not. 

It was Peter's turn to bury his face in his hands with a frustrated groan. He looked over at Michelle for the first time since the lights came on and shook his head.

"I'm so sorry about this." Peter whispered as he placed a hand on her knee. 

“Tony, can you please focus?” May asked with irritation as she paced away from them. The Iron Man armor crossed its arms in an attempt to look serious.

“Alright, Bug-Man give us the down low.” 

"Honestly guys, I appreciate you all checking on me but I'm-"

"If the next word out of your mouth is 'fine', I would recommend you not." May's voice sounded quietly from where she had walked over to the kitchen island, but she might as well have yelled for how effectively she silenced the room. 

Peter stood and walked over to his dejected aunt. May had found Peter's suit where they had left it lying on the counter. She was examining the nearly black fabric where the blood had stained his bright suit. Michelle felt the moment her fingers found the twin holes in the chest of the suit and watched as her eyes filled with tears and looked up at her nephew filled with questions. 

Her hands shook as she reached up and peeled away the dressing on his shoulder letting it fall to the ground. 

Everyone watched silently as Aunt May felt over the two stitched holes in her nephew's chest. Michelle could almost feel the way May’s heart broke as she relived the memories of the night Ben was shot. 

The entire room seemed to hold their collective breath waiting to see how she would react. 

May's arms came around Peter in a tight hug. Everyone finally exhaled but there was still a weight over the room that had not been there before.

May pulled back and Peter wiped away the tears from her face.

"I'm okay, May. Michelle stitched me up and I'm already healing."

"Peter you were shot. That's not okay. You can't keep doing this." May’s voice warbled slightly betraying her fraying emotions.

"You know I have to." May squeezed her eyes shut at his response and then turned away from Peter trying to contain her frustration and hurt. Peter's face flashed with pain and Michelle saw, maybe for the first time, how much Spider-Man really cost them.

“Why don't you two go get dressed and then we'll all talk." Tony suggested diplomatically after the weighted silence stretched on. 

Michelle stood and walked to her room feeling Peter behind her. She shut the door behind them and took what had to be her first deep breath since exiting the shower. 

Instead of getting dressed, Peter plopped down into a sitting position on the bed, resting his elbows on his knees and pushing his hands through his damp hair. 

"Pete?" Michelle walked up to him and put her own hands over his on his head. He looked up into her eyes and then pulled her forward until she was standing between his legs with his head pressed into her belly and his arms wrapped tightly around her. 

"How can I tell her the truth?” Michelle pushed her hands through his hair in what she hoped was a soothing motion. “She’s just going to ask me to stop. I can’t keep hurting her, but I can’t stop being Spider-man either. I am as much Spider-man as I am Peter Parker.” Michelle thought about that statement for a few seconds before responding. 

"It is important for her to know what we are all up against. Norman discovering your identity makes her as much a part of this as anyone." She said gently reminding him of the reality that he already knew all too well. 

“I know. You’re right.”

Peter was silent for a few more breaths and then he propped his chin on her stomach and looked up at her with a slightly mischievous grin. 

"Do you think if we stay in here long enough they will just leave?"

"God, I wish. Come on, Tiger. Let's find you some clothes." 

Five minutes later, Michelle had on black leggings and an oversized t-shirt and Peter was dressed in her favorite men's sleep pants and one of her t-shirts. She always bought men's loungewear because her legs were so long. They dragged the floor slightly on Peter.

Right before they opened the door Peter turned to her with a serious expression locked over his face. 

“Michelle, can you promise me something?”

“Anything.” She responded seriously.

"Just take some deep breaths when we are in there. I don't think I've ever seen a living human turn the shade of purple you were when Tony came in." His lips curled up in a signature smirk as he delivered his sarcastic one-liner.

"Oh, screw you, bug-boy." Michelle slapped him lightly on the chest with her free hand, but when she went to take it away it was completely stuck.

Son of a-

Before she had even finished mentally expressing her irritation, Peter tugged her into his arms and her other hand landed on his chest as well. He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her nose (which made her smile), and then her lips.

Her soul sighed.

“Any chance a girl can get a web out of here?” She asked hopefully when faced with returning to the stifling tension in the living room. 

“Maybe next time.” Peter said with a chucked and took her hand pulling her back into the living room.

Happy, May, and Tony were in a closed circle whispering angrily to each other and they barely noticed the pair of teens sit on the couch awaiting their intervention. May noticed them first and nodded in their direction indicating to Happy and Tony they were no longer alone. 

“Peter, tell me what’s going on.” May did not formulate the words as a question but rather a command. 

Michelle squeezed his hand in encouragement and Peter took a deep breath launching into his explanation.

After recounting the entire story sans Michelle’s parts, Peter and Michelle waited with baited breath for their responses. The Iron Man was pacing across the floor, Happy was sitting at the kitchen rubbing his temples, and May was staring at Peter with tears rolling down her cheeks.

“So, Norman Osborn killed your parents, injected you with poison, and then shot you?”

“Yes.” 

“And you thought he would come for me, so that’s why you called me panicking?”

“Yes.” May nodded her head solemnly at his response and then finally looked over at Michelle. 

“I’m so sorry you are caught up in this Michelle.” May’s words were so sincere that they shattered what was left of Michelle’s loyalty to her secret identity. 

She would find out soon enough anyway.

“Actually, May. I’m the one who owes you an apology. I am the one who dragged you all into this.” At May’s confused look, she added. “I am an Agent of SHIELD and this is my mission. Peter just refused to let me do it alone.” 

“So, all of the bruising and the cuts?”

“A small disagreement with a dinosaur.” 

“That makes more sense.” The room sat silently for a while seemingly processing all of the new information. 

"There is nothing I can say to make you both walk away from this is there?" May asked with a note of hopelessness.

Peter and Michelle both shook their heads. 

"Tony? Can you help them?" She asked looking over her shoulder at the empty suit of armor. 

"I’m sorry. I can't get anywhere near this without Ross getting involved and then Peter would be a slave to him too. By the sounds of it, that dirty bastard already knows exactly what Osborn had been doing and has decided to turn a blind eye. Hell, he’s probably been using those interrogation drugs on the supers in The Raft this entire time.” Michelle could hear the deep-seated guilt that laced Tony’s voice even through the automated voice of the helmet.

“So, what are you going to do?” May asked the two seated teenagers. 

“Firstly, we need to keep you safe. You are Osborn’s most obvious target and we have no idea how he is reacting to my escape.” Peter responded.

“I’m still working through the data on the hard-drive and trying to figure out his motives, but I have been authorized to shut him down if he gets out of control. The only problem is that he is virtually untouchable. He has mastered the art of distancing himself from the actual criminal activity. All of his influence is enforced through other people, while he sits plotting in his ivory tower. If we turned him in now, nothing would stick, and he would be back on the streets within hours.” Michelle explained while Peter added.

“Until we can find evidence that is fool proof, we are just trying to control the damage and keep him in check.” 

“Ok.” May said calmly.

“Ok?” Peter asked in surprise. Michelle could tell he was shocked by how well she was handling this. Michelle could read the her fear for Peter behind her brave front because she saw it in the mirror everyday.

“I can’t stop you, no matter how much I want you to walk away.” May wiped a tear that had escaped her deep brown eyes and then her lips tugged up in a sad smile. “You’re as stubborn as he was.” 

For once, Michelle got the impression that the ‘he’ in that statement was not Ben but rather his brother. Peter’s father. 

Everyone watched as Peter crushed his aunt into a giant hug and a collective peace fell over the room.

Happy and Tony left shortly after but only once they reassured Peter that they would handle security on May. 

They walked May home while Peter and MJ said goodnight.

“So, that went well I think.” Peter said optimistically when the door closed behind them. Michelle laughed. 

“Is that a typical level of awkwardness for sex talks? Because if so, I am going to need to reconsider this entire relationship.”

“No, that was definitely worse than usual. I still can’t believe Happy and Tony showed up.” Peter said while shaking his head.

“We really suck at the whole sneaking around thing, don’t we?” Michelle teased. 

“Yeah. We do.” Peter smiled as the first light of the sunrise began to brighten the world bringing with it a new sense of hope.

Maybe they could do this. 

“I can’t believe school starts tomorrow.” 

Michelle was surprised by Peter’s statement. In the chaos of the last few weeks, she had completely forgotten about school. 

Tomorrow was the first day of their junior year at Midtown School of Science and Technology. 

“You must be excited. I know how much you love the smell of new books and fresh lab equipment.” She teased him.

“Oh, very funny, Miss. ‘I’ve already graduated and nearly finished a college degree.’” He poked back. Michelle laughed and had to admit he had a point. 

They were both a little nerdy. 

Peter pushed his hand through his hair with a smile as a beam of golden light streamed through the window illuminating his handsome features. 

“What?” Peter asked bemusedly when she kept staring longer than was socially appropriate. Instead of responding, she walked up and kissed him on the lips. Peter’s arms came around her and he deepened the kiss arresting Michelle in his intoxicating presence. 

After a few moments, he pulled away and kissed her sweetly on the forehead when she pouted at the interruption. 

“If I don’t leave now, I won’t be able to and I’m not confident I will survive a repeat of that fiasco when Happy shows up to drag my ass home.” 

“Agreed.” Michelle laughed. “When will I see you?” 

She was way past caring how clingy she sounded. He already knew there was no one else she wanted to be around. 

He already knew that she was his. 

“Can I walk you to school in the morning?” Peter asked hopefully while pushing some of her damp curls behind her ears. 

“As long as you promise not to get in any subway fights and make us thirty minutes late for first period.” Michelle teased. Peter’s eyebrows furrowed.

“You were there?” 

“Who do you think dropped your glasses in your lap?” Michelle smiled remembering how different they had both been only a year ago. Remembering how her soul had come alive when she saw him and how hard she tried to deny it. 

In some ways everything had changed, but one thing hadn’t. Michelle still knew everytime she looked at him that he was her future.

“So, you really have been saving me the whole time?” 

“Well, someone’s got to look after you.”

*****

After catching up on some sleep and checking in on her father, Michelle walked down to May’s shop and settled into her nook with a hot cup of coffee and her tablet. She grew frustrated when her research didn’t reveal any new information and so she called her Girl in the Chair to check on her progress. 

After a few minutes of catching up and bouncing ideas off each other, Michelle asked Stretch a question.

"Did you find any files that didn't relate to the development of the serum?"

"Actually yes, there is a whole file of unmarked lab results. I don't know whose blood samples they are but it's clear that the person is very sick." Michelle’s ears pricked up and she leaned forward in her chair.

"What do you mean?"

"The subjects white blood cell counts are astronomically higher than they should be. I googled it and with this type of exponential mutated replication, the subject should have already died. There are some articles on experimental treatments that have helped slow the morbidity but the subject likely won't make it through the year."

Bingo.

"Can you hack into a hospital’s medical record database?"

"Easily."

"I want you to hack into Mass General and tell me if you can find any patient’s labs that match these findings."

"Ok. It might take me a few minutes."

"Call me when you have a match...and Stretch?"

"Yeah boss?"

"Thank you." 

She had a very strong feeling about who those labs belonged to.

Relieved that she might have finally found a lead, Michelle stretched and headed to the counter for a refill. 

May was behind the register. 

“Need a refill?” She asked kindly. Michelle nodded silently feeling unsure of what to say. She didn’t know exactly where they stood after she revealed that she had been lying to her and dragging her nephew into her life-threatening operation.

May slid the filled mug across the counter with what she hoped was a genuine smile.

“Anything else?” Michelle shook her head and nervously grabbed her mug. She had been about to turn away and retreat to her spot but at the last second, she stopped. 

“Are we okay?” Michelle asked lamely. She had never really had friendship with someone outside of the agency for long enough to know what to do in these situations. She wasn’t sure how to act, but she knew she wanted to get back to where they had been. 

Instead of responding, May turned away and walked back into the kitchen. 

Ouch. 

Michelle’s shoulders slumped and she let out a sad sigh of resignation. When she turned, May was right beside her. Before she could think of a single thing to say, she had been wrapped in a signature Parker Bear Hug. 

Michelle felt tears prick in her eyes at May’s easy forgiveness and acceptance of her. 

“Let’s go on a walk.” May suggested.

“Okay.”

After a few blocks of silence, Michelle finally spoke.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you the truth. I’m sorry I brought all of this trouble into your lives.” 

May surprised Michelle by laughing.

“Michelle, I appreciate the apology, but my 16-year-old nephew got bitten by a radioactive spider that had been enhanced by his own parents to give him super powers. The Parker’s had plenty of trouble long before you came along.” Michelle chucked as she realized how true that really was.

“Besides, even if you came with all the trouble in the world, I would still want you to be in our lives. I couldn’t be more thrilled with who Peter decided to give his heart to, even if she is a top-secret agent.” Michelle blushed at May’s kind words, overwhelmed by how grateful she was to be accepted by the most important woman in Peter’s life. 

“Thank you for being so awesome. I think a lot of people would resent me for everything that’s happened.”

“Michelle, I don’t know if you realize this, but Peter was in auto-pilot before you. He never took breaks unless I forced him to. He was utterly obsessed with being Spider-Man and taking care of me. Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t be prouder, but as his aunt, I wanted him to stop and smell the roses. I wanted him to remember how to enjoy life and how to be human. He still carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, but with you he is lighter. With you he really lives.” 

“He saved me too.” Michelle said softly as the smile that always appeared on her face when she thought about him tugged her lips up. 

“I know that look.” May teased as they crossed through the park. “Spill, Jones.” Something about May’s hospitable presence made Michelle do just that.

“I love him. I know that that sounds crazy because we are so young, but I just know that he’s it.”

“I don’t think that sounds crazy.”

“You don’t?” Michelle asked in surprise.

“I fell in love with Ben the day I met him. That love grew stronger and changed in so many beautiful ways as we got older and went through trials, but there was never a time when I wasn’t madly in love with him.” May had a sort of wistful look in her eyes when she said it but then a smile broke out on her face. “Plus, he was crazy good in bed.” 

“May!!” Michelle laughed completely scandalized by the comment. 

“What? It’s true. Sex is beautiful when it is the right time and the right person.” 

“Is that your way of asking me about my own sex life?”

“I guess I’m not as subtle as I thought.” May laughed. “I just wanted you to know you can talk to me, I know I’m Peter’s aunt but I’m also your friend and I’m here if you need someone.” 

“Is it that obvious?” 

“Virgin or not, we both know that was more than a shower.” Michelle was amazed at how normal this conversation seemed. She had always assumed talking about sex would be so awkward or forced but May spoke about it easily and naturally. 

“Can I ask you a question?”

“You can ask me anything Michelle.” May said openly.

“I’m not ready to go all the way yet, I’m super happy just doing the stuff we are doing. But how will I know when I am?” 

“It is different for everyone. There is not a one size fits all answer to that question. I lost my virginity to a random stranger in the back of a station wagon at a concert just because everyone else was doing it. I definitely wouldn’t recommend doing that. It was awkward and a little painful and I didn’t even come close to orgasming.”

“That sounds miserable.”

“It was and for a while I really couldn’t figure out what all the hype was about. Then I met Ben. We couldn’t keep our hands off one another and suddenly every touch was a revelation. All of those romance novels finally made sense. Even though neither one of us were virgins, Ben still insisted that we wait to have sex until we were married. At the time, I was so frustrated I could have screamed, but looking back, it was actually really special to have saved that intimacy until we were fully committed to each other. Plus, we got married a month after we met so it wasn’t that long of a wait.” She said with a wink.

“You got married a month after you met?” Michelle asked in surprise. 

“We were lucky. We both knew that we were soul mates and we didn’t want to wait to start our lives together. As soon as I looked into his chocolate-brown eyes, I knew I was his.” 

Michelle understood that statement on a visceral level, she felt the same when she met Peter.

“What did your parent’s think?”

“Well I was a bit of a gypsy and my parents hadn’t been in my life for a long time before I met Ben. And his parents, well they were shocked to say the least, but they could see the way Ben loved me and so they supported him. They were also completely convinced I was pregnant.” She said with a laugh.

“Why didn’t you guys ever…” Michelle let the question trail off when she realized how personal it was. “Sorry, don’t answer that. That is none of my business.”

“Why didn’t we ever have kids?” A sad smile graced her face. “We had been married about two years when I started to get worried, we weren’t necessarily trying but we hadn’t ever really done anything to prevent it either. That’s when I went to the doctor and found out that I couldn’t have children.” Michelle watched as storm clouds came over May’s expression as she relived the painful memory. “Turns out, I had all this scar tissue from a really tough go around with endometriosis in college. I will never forget rushing home and locking myself in the bathroom and just sobbing for hours. I felt like I was defective. I felt unlovable. Ben had always talked about how much he wanted kids and I was so terrified that he wouldn’t want me after he found out I couldn’t have them. He actually broke down the door when I wouldn’t let him in. He loved me even harder after that.”

“May, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.” Michelle reached down and squeezed her hand as they kept strolling through the city. 

“We were heartbroken but we decided to live our lives to the fullest and so we traveled and explored and learned and loved. We truly were blissfully happy but there was always just a small piece of our home missing.” May reached down and twisted the ever-present bands on her ring finger. “Then Ben’s older brother dropped Peter on our doorstep and suddenly we had the kid we had always dreamed of. Despite the horrible painful circumstances that brought him to us, Peter was our miracle. He still is.”

“He couldn’t have asked for a better woman to raise him.”

“Maybe a better woman would be able to get him to give up the spandex.” May said self-deprecatingly. Michelle knew she wasn’t serious but there was always a little truth in every joke.

“The bite and the suit just made him a little more durable. But we both know, he would still find a way to be out their helping people. All of his heroism comes from his heart and you were the ones that shaped it.” May wiped the tear that had escaped the corner of her eye away.

“I just wish that I could keep him safe for a little longer, ya know?”

“I do know.” May’s eyes came up to Michelle’s and the two women were locked in a moment of complete mutual understanding. 

They were the two women in the world who had chosen to love Peter Parker unconditionally. 

They were the two women who would spend their lives fearing for his. 

They were the two women who would lose sleep waiting for him to come home. 

They were the two women who would spend hours putting him back together only to send him out to be broken again. 

The world needed Spider-man and Spider-man needed them. 

So, they would be there. 

Always. 

Their conversations took a lighter turn as they aimlessly strolled through the city falling easily into the beautiful rhythm of friendship. After a while, they looked up and had found themselves in front of the same thrift shop where their unlikely partnership had started. 

“Do you think you can take enough time away from saving the world to do a little shopping?” May asked mischievously. 

“Definitely.”

*****

Michelle stayed up late compiling date and was relieved to see a clear picture begin to form. 

Norman Osborn rose to power in his twenties after selling a huge tech patent to Hammer technologies. He invested the money and began buying smaller business, one by one, until he had amassed an empire. Unknown to the feds, he had used many of the smaller business as fronts for laundering the money he was pirating from his giant underground crime syndicate. He had managed to take over the corporate world while secretly becoming the most formidable and untouchable crime boss in the world. 

When he was forty, he married a 28-year-old super-model-Emily Lyman. Osborn kept his marriage and family life so private that most people just assumed they had been happily married up until their abrupt divorce last year. 

That was nearly seventeen years ago and likely the same year he was first diagnosed with cancer. 

There had been no matching records at the hospital for the lab results Stretch had found. However, she traced Emily’s medical records to a small yet elite concierge medicine company that confirmed the tycoon had been secretly receiving treatment for cancer for nearly two decades. 

Around the time of his diagnosis, Norman had started buying up laboratories and pharmaceutical companies across the globe. After absorbing a small research conglomerate in Germany, he gained access to the heavily redacted and fractured research of one Dr. Abraham Erskine where he discovered the possibility of a super-soldier serum.

Suddenly, his obsession didn’t seem quite so insane. 

He was a man fighting a losing battle with cancer. 

This new information put Harry’s haunting words into context. He had told his father he would die before he ever achieved this power because he knew his father already had a death sentence. 

The only issue of course was that Norman was just insane enough and just rich enough to actually pull off his deluded dream. He had no qualms about experimenting on himself and had only survived as long as he had by being willing to try every form of experimental treatment imaginable. Norman had personally funded nearly half of the cancer research in existence over the past two decades and his ‘generosity’ didn’t stop there. 

He had met the Parker’s at research fundraiser and seeing their brilliant minds, quickly set them up with all of the money and lab space they needed. 

The rest was history.

Michelle grabbed a cup of coffee and then settled back into the couch with her tablet ready to cypher through the private medical records Stretch had sent over. Emily Osborn was still a complete and utter mystery to Michelle. She was the piece that didn’t seem to fit. 

Emily was basically a ghost prior to her rapid rise to fame. She had no living relatives and was randomly spotted by a talent scout at 17 while homeless on the streets of New York. The public only knew that she swiftly became one of the most famous models and movie stars in Hollywood. Nobody questioned her mysterious past. 

What everyone had failed to realize was that Emily was nothing short of a genius. While the world idolized her for her effortless charm and perfect bone structure, she quietly completed dual PHDs in biology and epidemiology from Harvard University under a different name. Typical that while Emily had published groundbreaking research in preventative medicine in third world countries, everyone just remembered her as pretty. It suddenly became clear why Norman Osborn had chosen this particular beauty when so many were falling at his feet.

Emily had spent her twenties using her fame and beauty to fundraise for outreach centers around the globe that provided free healthcare to disease and violence ridden countries. Michelle found an old photo online of a young Emily staring up adoringly at Norman at a charity event she had organized where he had been a generous benefactor. 

He needed her brain and so he seduced her heart.

The couple was married four months later. 

Five months after that, Harold was born.

Only they hadn’t lived happily ever after. 

As Michelle scoured Emily’s medical records a chilling picture of the young woman’s nightmarish life began to form. Over the last 17 years she had sustained 8 concussions, 10 broken ribs, one splenic laceration, 4 compound breaks, 16 green stick fractures, and multiple facial reconstruction surgeries. 

But even those hadn't been the most devastating records. 

Michelle felt tears gather in her eyes when she read the records of six miscarriages the final resulting in a total hysterectomy. All of the miscarriages had been due to placental abruption caused by extreme external force. 

Holy Shit. 

Michelle had known that Norman was a wicked bastard but beating his own unborn children to death while they were still inside of his wife had to be the most despicable evil she had ever heard of. 

Michelle shook her head completely disgusted. No wonder she had run away.

But why had Osborn let her go after all that time? 

She had exhausted the data available to her on the tablet. She needed to meet Emily Osborn face to face. She might be the one living human who could effectively testify against Norman. She might also be the only one willing.

Michelle texted Stretch.

“Find Emily Osborn.” 

******

Oscorp Tower 

Sub-Basement 7

Main Laboratory

 

Patricia Blackwood watched in glee as her latest serum trial ate away at the lab monkey’s cancer until he was completely cured. Some of the side effects were undesirable, but the overall effect was that the monkey was ten times as strong and perfectly healthy.

Norman would love her for this. 

She had done what none of his other pet scientists had been able to. 

She had just cured his only weakness. 

With shaking fingers, she punched out his number on her phone.

“What?” His gruff voice sounded from the other end. 

“It’s done.”


	22. Monster

“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside of us and sometimes they win.”

-Stephen King

Michelle woke up to soft kisses on her face. 

The soothing lips made her cuddle even deeper under her covers determined to stay in this beautiful reality for a little bit longer. 

Then she heard a soft laugh. 

She knew that laugh. 

That was her favorite laugh. 

Peter?

As the unhurried kisses continued across her chin, Michelle finally convinced her tired brain to peek at the world. She squinted one eye at the blurry face in front of her as the morning light filtered into her brain. 

What was he doing here so early?

Her line of curious questioning was cut short a moment later when his soft lips connected with her own. She immediately looped her arms around his neck and tugged him further down on top of her. 

The minty aftertaste of his toothpaste tingled her lips as her cuddly spider devoured her mouth. The now familiar, but no less revolutionary, tension coiled between them and she found herself doing everything she could to get closer. Just as her hand traveled underneath the hem of his shirt he pulled away leaving her slightly breathless and very much awake.

“As much as I would love to stay here in bed with you all day, we are going to be late.” Peter spoke softly into her forehead before placing a kiss between her eyes.

“What do you mean?” Michelle said as she continued contently staring up at her boyfriend. 

“School starts in twenty minutes. You slept through your alarm.” It wasn’t until that moment that Michelle realized it was way too bright in her room and Peter was fully dressed with his backpack on. 

“Oh Shit!” Michelle vaulted out of bed nearly knocking Peter over and then rushed to the bathroom while Peter’s laugh filtered through the door.

“Thirrrs isnnnrrt Fuurnnmmy.” She yelled back at him while scrambling to scrub the fuzz off her teeth. 

“It’s a little funny.” Peter called back happily. Michelle decided not to even bother with the curly mane of hair on her head and after slapping on some deodorant rushed back into her room. 

In contrast to Michelle’s tornado of frantic movements, Peter was sitting on the bed calmly holding two travel mugs of coffee from The Greenhouse with a very amused smirk on his stupidly handsome face. Michelle flipped him off over her shoulder as she walked over to her desk. 

Fortunately, she already had an outfit laid out because she bought it from the thrift shop yesterday. In her fray to get ready, she stripped off the oversized t-shirt she had slept in and quickly pulled on a bralette before remembering that her boyfriend was still in the room. She was basically standing in front of him in lingerie. 

Michelle whirled around to find Peter with a slightly slack jawed expression. Peter swallowed thickly and then suddenly seemed to remember himself.

“Uh, sorry.” He stood up and turned his back to her affording her a little more privacy. 

She had to admit she kind of liked that she could get him so frazzled. It made her feel good. It also made her want to jump his bones but alas school couldn’t wait. 

She tugged on the soft orangish gold ribbed t-shirt that Lu said complimented her eyes and then slid up the high-waisted slightly bell-bottomed jeans May had insisted she needed. After popping on her chucks, she made her way over to the mirror to look at the finished product. 

The difference from last year was striking. 

Her clothes actually showed off her figure, highlighting her long legs and toned waist instead of hiding it behind layers of fabric. The soft orange of her shirt complimented her bronzed skin and brown eyes while her curly hair framed her face attractively. 

Michelle wasn’t hiding who she was anymore, she had allowed herself to grow and breathe and live and love and the transformation was a revelation. 

Shaking her head out of her reverie she rushed over to her desk and pushed a book, her sketchbook, and her tablet into her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. When she turned, Peter was still facing the other way respectfully. 

“Ok, I’m ready.” Peter peaked over his shoulder as if checking to see if she was lying and then smiled and faced her. He got that same slightly slack-jawed look again. 

“What?” Michelle asked self-consciously wondering if her slightly retro inspired outfit was too much.

“You look beautiful.” Peter said it so genuinely that Michelle couldn’t help but accept the compliment. He walked across the room and handed her the coffee while kissing her on the forehead. 

“You don’t look half bad yourself, Tiger.” Michelle said honestly appreciating the way his long sleeve black t-shirt hung off of his muscled torso. 

“Ya think? This designer is all the rage.” Peter did a little spin as if modeling his back to school look while smoldering dramatically. Michelle couldn’t help but laugh at his silliness. 

“Come on Loser. We are going to miss the subway.”

Peter held her hand the entire way to school. He didn’t let go when they rushed through the closing subway doors or when they were squished between the hundreds of commuting passengers. He didn’t let go as they walked across the football field where the team was practicing or even when they skipped up the front steps ignoring Flash’s taunting barbs. 

Michelle hadn’t realized how nice that would be. Just being with him openly for everyone to see. She saw the shocked looks of all the girls who had crushes on Peter last year. Peter was undeniably even more handsome, but he was also undeniably taken. 

That thought made Michelle’s heart flutter in her chest. 

Mine. 

The halls of Midtown Tech were filled with the nervous sort of energy that only a first day can create. There were seniors roughhousing and cutting up, juniors stressing about their test scores and college applications, sophomores reuniting with their friends, and freshman frantically searching for their first period classes. 

“Pete!” Michelle and Peter stopped in the middle of the hallway when they saw Harry waving at them excitedly from his locker. Michelle squeezed his hand in encouragement as the couple made their way over to their friend unsure of who they would meet. 

“What the hell man. Can’t a guy get a hug after being shipped across the pond for months?”. 

“Welcome back, man. We missed you.” Peter said softly as he embraced the shell of his best friend.

“Michelle, you look hot!” Harry said as the pair of best friends pulled apart. Peter punched him lightly on the arm. 

“Dude!” Peter said with amused outrage. 

“What it’s not like your dating.” Harry said with a wink at Michelle. 

He really didn’t remember anything about coming back. This was a completely different Harry than the one they had laughed with at the arcade. 

“Actually…” Peter said as he re-took Michelle’s hand. “We are.”

Harry’s eyes got wide as they ping ponged between Michelle and Peter and their clasped hands as if waiting for one of them to start laughing and tell him it was a joke. After a few moments, Harry patted Peter on the back. 

“Damn, good for you guys.”

“Guys, guys, guys. Guess what.” Ned interrupted the trio excitedly. 

“You bought a new Lego set?” Harry intoned. 

“There is a comic con this weekend?” Peter teased.

“You found a new favorite super hero?” Michelle added with a smirk. 

Peter elbowed her in the ribs.

“Ok, first of all, screw you guys. Not all of my time is completely consumed with nerdy things.” Ned said putting his hands on his hips. 

“Ok, then what’s up?” Peter asked curiously. 

“I finally beat PrincessStretch on Fortnite.” Ned said the sentence with so much genuine excitement that she almost felt bad for teasing him. 

The username caught Michelle’s attention. Was is possible that Peter’s Guy and her Girl in the Chair had been dueling on an online game this entire time?

“No yeah your right. That’s not nerdy at all.” Harry said while slinging his backpack over his shoulder and rolling his eyes. 

“That’s awesome man, what has it been, like nine months since you first started fighting her?” Peter asked kindly. 

“Way too long. That’s for sure. God, I don’t think I will ever get her voice out of my head. I think I am in love.” 

“She’s been kicking your ass in a game for months and now you are in love with her?” Harry asked with genuine confusion. 

“Yes! She’s amazing.” Ned said wistfully.

Michelle was only half listening to The Holy Trinity of Nerds when finally, her curiosity got the better of her.

“Ned is your username by chance NedLeader?” 

“Yeah! How did you know?” He responded furrowing his brow. 

The first period warning bell rang, saving Michelle from having to answer. 

Ned and Peter set off towards their advanced trigonometry class while Harry and Michelle made their way to biology.

“So, how was your summer?” Michelle asked Harry curiously when they had taken their seats.

“It was great.” Harry said almost automatically.

“That’s good. What did you do?” Michelle inquired wanting to see how far his memory loss went. 

“I mostly went to school. I had a lot of catching up to do.” Again, Michelle caught the eerie sense that those were somebody else’s words. 

“Did you get a chance to see your mom? Peter told me she lives over there.” Harry’s eyes went unfocused for a second and then he shook his head. 

“No, I have no interest in seeing her ever again.” This time Michelle knew for sure that those words had been planted inside Harry’s mind. He didn’t even look like he believed them himself.

“What about you?” Harry asked seeming to come back to himself. 

“My summer was great. I read books, volunteered, wasted time. The usual.”

“When did the Peter thing happen?” Harry asked while wiggling his eye brows suggestively. 

“Just a few weeks ago. We ran into each other at The Greenhouse and it just sort of fell into it.” Michelle said with a smile remembering how nervous she had been around him just a few short weeks ago. 

“That’s dope.”

“Yeah.” They were rescued from any additional small talk when the final bell rang, and the teacher launched into her back to school welcome speech. 

Michelle cracked open her sketchbook and passed the time by sketching her favorite pair of eyes while contemplating how the hell they were going to take down Norman Osborn and whether or not she should set NedLeader and PrincessStretch up on a date. 

***** 

Oscorp Testing Facility 

Queens New York

“I’m confident that this will destroy any of the cancer in your body, but I do not know how all of the foreign DNA will affect the rest of your body.”

Norman Osborn stood shirtless in the middle of the warehouse hooked up to what felt like hundreds of wires and monitors as Patricia explained the risks of completing a human trial so early. They had chosen the location in case something went wrong; his PR team was already working overtime to eliminate Oscorp’s association with Dr. Connor’s Lizard incident. 

Of course, at this point. Nothing as trivial as public opinion could influence his bottom line but improving the public’s perception of Oscorp could only benefit him when he inevitably took over the city.

“Do it.” He said confidently. He didn’t become the man he was today by being afraid of a few calculated risks. Patricia walked up and cleaned his arm with alcohol before injecting the thick green serum directly into his brachial vein. 

At first, he didn’t really feel anything, then gradually an ache grew in his bones where he knew his cancer was. Patricia went behind the monitors to check his lab levels and monitor his EKG, but he could already feel it working. 

He hadn’t felt this strong in years. 

“Sir, it worked. Your white blood cell counts are back within normal ranges, but your heart rate is accelerating rapidly. How are you feeling?”

“I feel…” Before he could finish the statement, her felt a surge of power and adrenaline flow through his body. He looked down and cocked his head in question as his skin began to take on a greenish tint. The muscles all over his body hemorrhaged and multiplied straining to grow impossibly larger. 

He had done it. 

He was invincible. 

He was immortal. 

He was a god. 

The last thing he remembered was the world turning red. 

*****

Michelle was sitting in class reading her own book when she felt her phone vibrate against her hip. She had a message from Stretch. 

“I found her. Sending the coordinates now.” 

Emily was in a remote part of South America. She must be with an outreach crew. 

Michelle typed in the coordinates and was thankful was only a three-hour flight via Quinjet. 

As the bell rang, she formulated a plan while merging into the sea of students heading excitedly to their last class of the day.

She was lost in thought about Emily, when a strong hand clamped around her wrist and pulled her out of the hallway traffic into the old band room. She yelped as she found herself pushed up against the door caged in by her favorite person.

"What the-"

She was silenced by his lips meeting hers. He kissed her with a determination and sweetness that made her stomach flutter. 

"Miss me?" He said against her lips as her hands found their favorite place in his hair and her backpack hit the floor with a dull thud. He kissed her once firmly on the lips pulled back and then repeated the motion two more times. Stealing her breath with each contact. 

His eyes twinkled as they returned to hers.

“Maybe just a little.” Michelle stated before placing another kiss on his lips. 

A year ago, this type of love drunk co-dependency would have made her nauseous. Now she couldn’t go a few minutes without missing him. He deepened the kiss and his naughty hands traveled down until they slid into the back pockets of her jeans and squeezed. 

“Peter we’re in school.” She reprimanded him. 

He didn’t stop. 

She hadn’t really wanted him too anyway. 

They were quickly drowning in the electricity that their bodies conducted whenever they came together. They felt and touched and enjoyed in the same abandoned band room where their bodies had first met while a current of students rushed by obliviously on the other side of the door. 

Peter still had her caged against the door and began kissing down her neck, he gently bit and then sucked on that favorite spot below her ear. She squirmed against him while fisting the back of his hair in her hands. 

“We’re going, to be….be..be late for class.” She stuttered out between panting breaths.

Peter groaned and then placed a short chaste kiss where he had been and then one on her lips. 

“You’re right. We should go.” Peter said while stepping back and putting her at an arm’s length. His hair was now extra curly where she had been running her hands through it and his cheeks had a slight flush.

He looked so good that Michelle decided she didn’t care about the tardy. Much to his surprise, she deftly reversed their positions and pushed him up against the door capturing his bitten lips again. 

After a few moments, she kissed her way to his own neck while her hands traveled up the back of his shirt. She copied his own move and bit his neck softly and then started kissing and sucking it while his hands ran up and down her body. She leaned back appreciating the small love bite that now matched her own.

Just as she recaptured his lips, his entire body tensed. Peter turned them 180 degrees cramming her in the corner and tucking her head so that his body was completely covering her own.

A cacophony of crashing metal and crumbling cement filled the air, as dust and ruble flew all around them.

“Are you alright?” He asked with fearful eyes as soon as the rubble settled. There was a mangled school bus smashed into the wall right beside them.

“Yeah, what the hell was that?” He released her and turned around just in time for them to see a large green beast flipping and throwing school busses like they were paper weights through a brand-new hole in the side of the school. 

The beast looked deranged angrily roaring and seemingly destroying things in search of some unknown target. He had a humanoid form, but his skin was a deep green and two sets of horns protruded from his head over large pointed ears. The monster must have been 12 feet tall and had veins popping out all over its bulging muscles as its red eyes hunted for its prey. 

“Get everyone out.” Peter said firmly pushing her toward the door. While she had been watching the beast in frozen terror, he was already stripped down and pulling his suit out of his backpack.

“No, I’m not leaving you.” Michelle said feeling the panic rise up her throat at the prospect of leaving him alone with Frankenstein’s monster. She leaned down and stuffed his clothes into his backpack, needing to do something with the rising adrenaline coursing through her body.

“Michelle.” When she looked up Peter was fully dressed and had his mask in his hand. He tugged her to her feet, grabbed her head and pressed a short but firm kiss into her lips and then pushed her away with imploring eyes. 

“Go.” He pulled his mask over his face and then leaped over the rubble at the exact moment the monstrosity started charging for the school. Spider-Man shot two simultaneous webs over its soulless red eyes and then kicked the monster across the face.

Go. 

The sound of Peter’s foot impacting the monster finally snapped Michelle out of her haze and she raced into the hallway searching for the nearest fire alarm starting the evacuation. 

‘Go, Go, Go. Head towards the football field.” She yelled at the panicked kids pouring into the hallways. 

She had to get everyone out. 

*****

Peter shook his head clearing stars as he pushed to his feet. The freakish monster had grabbed him and thrown him so hard he had crashed strait through a wall and skidded through a garden of metal desks. 

Ouch.

This thing had to be at least three times as strong as the lizard had been.

It was going to be a long day. 

Peter webbed himself up to the ceiling crawling along until he was right above the overgrown lab experiment.

“PPPPPEeeeetTTEeerrrr PPPPAaarrRkkeRR.” The mutant growled menacingly as it smashed through desks looking for its prey. 

“Web grenade.” Peter yelled trapping the beast momentarily in a glob a web. He took the opportunity to wrap as much webbing around the ogre as possible and just prayed it held long enough to get the thing under control.

A moment later with a heaving stretch, the monster cut through all of the webs with his talons and broke free launching himself at Peter. 

The pair of enhanced men battled down the hall, leaving a trail of carnage that vaguely resembled a tornado’s path. 

To Peter it felt like they had been fighting for ages, when he finally heard sirens surrounding the school. 

He couldn’t let the beast go for the police. It would be a blood bath. 

“Yo, Godzilla. Want a snack?!” Peter said whilst launching a vending machine straight into his head and then swinging towards the gym. 

If his angry roar was anything to go by, he didn’t appreciate Peter’s joke.

The two continued fighting slamming through doors and dueling in the abandoned gymnasium. Peter felt like he was gaining the upper hand, the beast was strong and vicious, but he was faster and had previous experience with maniacal green giants. 

Peter had just cornered it in the gym when he noticed Kenny “Kong” McFarlane curled in the corner shaking and paralyzed with fear. The beast must have noticed too because he whirled around and started charging the statuesque boy. Peter webbed his legs sending him to the floor and leaped over his body getting between him and Kong right as his giant body descended on them. 

Peter caught the clawed hands in his own holding him back with all of his might. 

“Hey, Kong. You need to get out of here!” He yelled over his shoulder, but the large teenager was completely frozen staring at nothing. 

“Kong. Man snap out of it.” He wasn’t moving. Peter’s senses could hear his rapid breath and deduced that the football player was trapped inside of a panic attack. Understandable, when you considered that the school currently looked like the set of a horror movie. 

Peter’s body started shaking at the strain of holding the monster back rapidly calculating a plan where he and Kong got out of this alive. The beast leaned even further over Peter’s smaller frame and spoke in its deranged way as drool dripped directly into his mask.

Gross.

“kkkiillllllsss SPpppiddder”

“Phew. You ever considered a breath mint. That is rank.” 

*****

After clearing classrooms and getting every student she found to the football field, Michelle sprinted back into the school. When she turned the corner to the main hallway, she gasped at the carnage caused by the monster. 

Lights were dangling from the ceiling spraying sparks. Entire sections of lockers where torn in half leaving jagged metal sticking out at terrifying angles. The walls were full of holes that wept water where pipes had been plowed through forcefully. 

Her heart was pounding out of her chest as she started navigating her way towards the vociferous crashes and sickening roars. She had absolutely zero plan on how she was going to help her spider, but she knew she had to try. 

Her feet skidded to a stop when she saw a red fire axe in an enclosed case on the wall right outside the gym. 

Perfect. 

She punched through the glass and wrapped her hands around the heavy metal spinning it a few times to test its weight. 

She burst into the gym just in time to see the beast wail down on Spider-Man with both hands and the two lock into a battle of hand to hand strength. 

Why wasn’t he just rolling out of the way?

That’s when she heard Peter’s voice. 

“Hey, Kong. You need to get out of here!”

Sure, enough at second glance, the would-be bully was huddled into the corner frozen in terror right behind Peter. 

“Kong!” Peter yelled again but Michelle knew that the kid wasn’t moving. She started sneaking towards the beast as quickly and stealthily as she could.

“kkkiillllllsss SPpppiddder!!!” 

“Phew. You ever considered a breath mint. That is rank.” 

Michelle rolled her eyes at Peter’s smart-ass comment. Apparently, he couldn’t even dial down the sarcasm when he was about to be smashed by some type of mutant demon hybrid. 

She sprinted the last few steps toward the beast gaining momentum, raised the fire axe above her head, and then brought it down as hard as she could in its back.

The monster immediately let Peter go arching his back and letting out a horrible deafening scream while taking large steps backwards. Michelle just barely had time to roll out of the way as the monster retreated.

“Thank you, kind citizen.” Peter made the white spider eye wink as he saluted her before leaping off to web up the fleeing green brute.

She couldn’t help but smile. 

Michelle turned and went to kneel down in front of the terrified young man. 

“Kong.” She slapped his pale sweaty face a few times. “Hey, you’re safe now. Let’s get out of here ok?” Kenny’s eyes finally flitted towards hers and he nodded.

Michelle walked Kong all the way to the football field where Ned and Harry rushed out to help her. 

“Harry, can you take him? He is in shock, but he is going to ok.” 

“Yeah, I got him. Common big guy.” Harry wrapped his arms around the trembling giant of an eleventh grader and walked him towards the bleachers. 

“MJ, what the hell is going on?” Ned asked when Harry was out of earshot. 

“You know the Lizard that attacked Oscorp?”

“Yeah of course.”

“Picture that, but so much worse.”

“Holy Shit.”

“Yeah.”

*******

Peter, Michelle, Ned, and May sat around the dinner table eating spaghetti in silence contemplating what they were going to do next. The only sounds were the clinking of forks on plates and the occasional defeated sigh.

He had done it. 

Norman Osborn had completed his super serum and the outcome was significantly more horrible than she had imagined. It was one thing for Norman to be some fucked-up version of Steve Rogers, but it was a whole other for him to turn into a psychotic green rage monster. 

Peter had lost the beast when a virtual swat team of unidentified soldiers trapped the monster in a giant truck and whisked him away. 

The news had reported that they had been the police. 

That had been a lie. 

Michelle tracked the truck back to a warehouse owned by Oscorp. Norman was apparently smart enough to have a damage-control crew this time around. 

“I’ve got it.” Ned exclaimed startling the table. 

“Got what Ned?” Peter asked in a fairly grumpy tone. He was grouchy because he didn’t like losing, especially to Norman. 

“We need to reverse engineer the serum he used to turn into the green goblin thingy just like you did with the Lizard. That way if he shows up again we can just turn him back into a human and kick is ass.”

"Green Goblin....that's what we're going with? I know I let you choose the villain names because you're the 'Guy in the Chair' but honestly that one is a little rough." Peter crossed his arms and looked at Ned incredulously. 

"Uh he's green and his face definitely has goblin-y qualities to it. Ergo-The Green Goblin"

"Yeah but I mean aren't goblins technically supposed to be small and live under bridges or something." 

"I think that's trolls-"

"Boys can we focus." Michelle finally interrupted after concluding that they could go on like this all day. “That’s actually a really good idea Ned. But we don’t have access to the original serum and none of us will be able to get into Oscorp now that Norman knows Peter’s identity.”

Everyone was silent for a few minutes thinking about their options. 

“What if we didn’t have to break in?” Peter asked. 

“What are you thinking?” 

“Well, the only reason I was able to reverse engineer Dr. Connor’s serum is because all of the information was already programmed into their lab equipment. All I had to do was reverse some equations and remove a few key ingredients. Oscorp does almost all of their lab work and trials with computer programmed robotics to minimize human error. So, if the serum was made by a computer…”

“Then we can hack it.” Ned finished his sentence.

“You really think that would work?” May asked. 

“It’s the only chance we’ve got.” Peter replied seriously.

“Uh hate to be the barer of bad news, but Oscorp’s firewall is harder to hack than the Pentagons. Even if I had enough processing power to get in, it would probably take me days to get inside let alone find the right data cache.” Ned said honestly. 

“I can get us in.” Michelle asked feeling a plan form in her mind. 

“What?” Peter asked hopefully.

“How?” Ned added.

“I know a girl.”

******

Peter watched appreciatively as Michelle stood from the table and made her way to the door.

She winked at him over her shoulder as she closed the door. 

What the hell had he done to deserve a woman like Michelle Jones. He swore he almost got down on one knee when she had battle axed The Green Goblin.

Ned interrupted his wistful thoughts with a loud whisper.

“Dude is that a hickey?”

Peter’s head whipped up toward Ned as his hand came up to cover his neck.

“No, its…uh…just a bruise.” Peter said. It was unconvincing even to his own ears. He really needed to get better at this whole lying thing.

“That is a hickey!” Ned pointed at him and laughed. 

“Dude. Shut. Up.” Peter threw his napkin at him and then nodded towards May who was watching the exchange with an amused smile. 

“Oh, don’t mind me, I’ve had loads of hickeys in my day.” May said before twirling her class and taking a sip of her wine. 

“Ok. Ew gross. I’m done.” Peter pushed to his feet and started clearing the table. “Are you done?”

“You see that Ned, that is the look of a man who is loooooovee.” May teased adding extra enunciation on the word love. Ned laughed. 

Peter flipped him the bird while May just laughed. 

“Just you wait till you find the love of your life Ned, karma is a bitch.”

Ned had been about to respond when Michelle walked back through the door. 

“Ok, she is on her way with the computers. May is it okay if we make this base camp?”

“Of course, what do you need.”

“Extension cords, coffee, and more snacks than you can imagine.” Michelle said with a smile. 

“Done.” May took a healthy swig of her wine and then stood and started gathering the requested supplies. Peter squeezed her on the shoulder when she passed him nodding his gratitude.

May was the best. 

After drying the last of the dishes, he turned around to see Ned setting up his lap top. He caught Michelle’s eye and she nodded for him to follow her before heading out the door. 

He knew where she was going. 

When he pushed into the greenhouse, he caught Michelle as she pushed her hair behind her ear and leaned forward smelling one of the last sunflowers in bloom. 

His heart contracted in his chest. 

She had this tough no nonsense exterior but underneath it was the softest heart. Even in her darkest moments, she saw and recognized the beauty all around her. 

She looked up and smiled. 

“These are my favorite.”

“Why is that?” He asked walking up to her and wrapping his arms around her from behind. 

“Because they remind me of you.” She said leaning back into his arms.

“I guess I’ll have to plant more then.” He said softly kissing her neck. 

He would plant fields of them if they made her happy. 

“I have to go.” Peter didn’t like the sound of that and he turned her around until he was looking into her eyes. 

“Where?”

“I found Emily in South America. She is our only chance at prosecuting Osborn and having the charges stick. Everyone else could be bought.”

“When do we leave?” He asked automatically. If she was leaving the country, he was going with her. 

“You need to stay here, Peter.”

“If you go, I go.” He said flatly. 

“Peter you are the only match for Osborn in this city. If he gets wind of us hacking Oscorp it will lead him straight here. You have to stay and protect them.” Peter shook his head ready to argue and she spoke over him. “Or what if he gets loose in the city? Think about the damage he did to the school but in an area that we can’t so easily evacuate. The city needs you more than I do.” Peter knew what she was saying was absolutely true and it made the most sense for them to divide and conquer.

It just didn’t sit right in his heart. 

After a long pause he finally asked the question on the tip of his tongue.

“Who’s going to protect you?” Michelle smiled at him and then pulled a page out of his own book by attempting to lighten the heavy tension with sarcasm.

“Are you seriously asking the girl who chopped the Green Goblin down with an axe if she needs a bodyguard?” 

Peter wasn’t having it. 

“No, I’m asking the girl I can’t live without if she will make it back to me.” Michelle’s expression sobered but a small smile tugged at her lips.

“I’ll come home,” She wrapped her arms around his neck and then placed a firm kiss against his lips. “I promise.”

Peter buried his hands in her hair and crushed their lips together trying to communicate all of his love through the kiss. It was short but what it lacked in length it made up for in passion and desperation. 

It was the type of desperation that can only be produced when two intertwined souls sense that they are about to be torn apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This stories Green Goblin inspiration comes from the Ultimate Spiderman Comics. Here's a visual aid if you want it:  
> https://goo.gl/images/gMz3ps
> 
>  
> 
> As always, thank you for reading <3


	23. Blackout

“Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”  
-Harper Lee

 

SOUTH AMERICA

 

The Quinjet landed a few kilometers outside of Emily’s camp. Michelle grabbed a single handgun and tucked it into the back of her jeans before pulling a jacket on to conceal it. Typically, in the field she would don her entire tactical suit and harness, but this type of extraction would take a more delicate hand and she had absolutely no idea what state of mind the woman was in. 

The young agent worked through the camp asking around and pretending to be the new medical intern until she found Emily sitting alone at a fire pit watching the dying embers cool from red to black.

“Emily?”

“Can I help you?” She responded kindly and looked up at Michelle. Her face was only illuminated by the soft dying light of the fire, but even so Michelle could see how different she looked from the pictures online. 

Emily was still undeniably beautiful, she had piercing blue eyes and long blonde hair that fell in a flattering curtain over her shoulders. Michelle could see bits of Harry in her expression and soft smile, but the bone structure of her face had been slightly altered. A thick jagged scar ran up the left side of her face and bisected her eye brow. It suddenly became very clear why the media hadn’t gotten a picture of her in years.

“My name is Michelle. I’m a friend of Harry’s.” 

“Harry? Is he alright. What’s happened?” Emily launched to her feet and paced towards Michelle.

“He is safe for now. But he and everyone in New York City needs your help.” Michelle said calmly trying to both reassure and motivate her at the same time. Emily’s head drooped, and she sighed.

“So, he’s done it. He’s completed the serum.” Michelle was surprised when Emily didn’t ask for any more information about why she was here or who she was, but she decided to take it as a good sign.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“How? How did he finish the algorithm?” The woman’s sharp eyes bored into Michelle’s and she found herself amazed at how much fire remained in them after the years of abuse she had suffered. Michelle had expected to find a down trodden shell of a woman, instead she had found a fierce and intelligent mother who asked all the right questions. 

“We believe his lead scientist was able to finalize it from a sample of Spider-Man’s blood.” Emily’s head snapped up. 

“Is Peter ok?” The genuine concern in her eye mixed with the revelation of her insider knowledge caused Michelle’s calm façade to crack.

“How do you know his name?”

“Because, I’m the one who made sure he got bitten.”

*****

QUEENS 

 

“I’ll get it.” Peter said after he heard a knock on the door. He wasn’t exactly sure what he had been expecting but this had not been it. 

The young woman was probably six feet tall but crazy thin which gave her the odd appearance of almost having been stretched out. She had deep skin and a curly afro that had been dyed bright pink. At closer inspection, the skin that was showing on her arms had been heavily tattooed giving Peter the impression that she was tougher than he had thought at first glance. She had on leggings and a black t-shirt with ‘I dream in BASIC’ written across it that was hopelessly too big for her slender frame and came half way to her knees. There was a large black container with her which Peter assumed was holding all of the equipment. 

The nervous girl was pacing and biting her nails while whispering to herself passionately. 

“Stupid, stupid, stupid. I should have just stayed at the compound. I don’t know these people what if they don’t even have any good snacks. I’m going to kill Michelle for making me do this.”

Peter could tell she hadn’t noticed him yet and so he cleared his throat loudly to announce his presence. 

She froze mid stride and then nodded at Peter cautiously. 

“Hey, I’m Peter. Come on in.”

“Stretch.” She said shortly. “I was told there would be snacks.”

Peter chuckled. 

“Yeah we have snacks, follow me.”

“Ned, this is uh Stretch. Stretch this is Ned Leeds.” 

“Ned Leeds? As in NedLeader?” Stretch asked incredulously. 

“Princess Stretch??” Ned asked in amazement as he rushed around the kitchen table to shake her hand. “Hi, I’m Ned. I’m a huge fan”

“Nice to meet you Ned, great work on that last conquest.” Stretch put her hand out awkwardly and Ned shook it with enthusiasm. The two seemed to get lost in each other’s eyes for a moment and Peter could practically feel their instant connection from across the room. 

“I like your shirt.” Ned said shyly. Stretch looked down and then smiled as she saw Ned’s own nerdy t-shirt. The shirt displayed a floppy disk with a text bubble saying, ‘USB, I am your father’ and a flash drive which said, “Noooooooo.”

Classic.

He watched with thinly veiled amazement as the physically mismatched pair instantly fell into a perfect rhythm. They started setting up computers and talking about encryptions and firewalls and viruses as if it were nothing more than common knowledge. It might as well have been another language to Peter. 

“Dang. The processing capacity on these is incredible. Where did you get all this?” Ned asked excitedly as he looked up at Stretch with the most adoring heart eyes he had ever seen.

Peter would definitely be teasing him about this later. 

Payback was a bitch.

He had just filled two mugs with coffee and was taking them to the table when her response made him freeze. 

“SHIELD has all the best tech, it’s the only way Michelle convinced me to join up.” 

Shit. 

Ned hadn’t known that Michelle was SHIELD just like Stretch didn’t know that he was Spider-Man. 

“You are an Agent of SHIELD?!?” Ned exclaimed. 

“Yeah, of course. Wait, Michelle hadn’t told you that?” Stretch said her voice pitching u in fear.

Ned just shook his head with his mouth still slightly agape.

“Shit. Shit. Shit. This is why I don’t go into the field. I suck at this. Damn it.”

“Wait so is this how Michelle figured out you were Spider-man?” Ned asked Peter with genuine curiosity completely oblivious to the fact that he just revealed Peter’s secret identity. 

“Dude, Seriously?” Peter asked while barely restraining facepalming himself. They all clearly needed to take a few lessons in clandestine behavior from Michelle.

“You’re Spider-man?” Stretch asked in awe. 

“It would appear so.” Peter said releasing a frustrated sigh. He walked over and set the coffee on the table in front of the shocked computer geeks while he was ogled by the newest member of the spider club. On any other night, this entire exchange would have been funny, but the looming threat of Osborn’s power and the absence of his favorite person had dampened his mood significantly.

“Now that we are all properly introduced, do you think we could get to work?”

***** 

OSCORP Tower

Penthouse Suite

 

“Sir, your blood remains cancer free. There is no need to use the serum again.”

LiIIAaaarrRRrr. She lLiieEess. YYYYYyyyyooooOOOuuuu NNNneEEEeeeEEeeDDddd IIIiiiiTTtttt.

Norman backhanded the smaller scientist across the face when the voice whispered into his mind. 

Maniacal laughter rang through his consciousness. 

“I didn’t ask for your opinion. I asked you how many vials we had.”

“I-I only have one more, but with a lit…little time. I can m-m-make more.” The terrified woman’s voice rattled as she knelt before him. It was the natural order of things. 

YeeeeEEeesSSsss. MOoorRReee.

“Do it.”. 

After the pitiful scientist had limped out of his office, he slammed the door sequestering himself from the world and listening to the private council of the voice the serum had left in his mind. Perhaps, in reality, the voice had always been there subliminally driving his decisions, but now he could hear it. He could speak with it. It was an entity of its own acting as a conscience of sorts. 

Both he and the voice in his head laughed at that thought. 

He hadn’t had a conscience in decades. 

He knew that lesser men would fear that they were losing their minds if an alternate voice suddenly appeared in their mind, but all he felt was hunger. 

He needed more.

MMMmmmMoooOOOOoooRRrrEEeeee

He needed to feel the strength of the serum coursing through his veins again.

KKkkkkkkiiIIIIIIILLlllllLL

He needed to kill that skinny little bastard in tights. 

YYyyyyyyeEEEeeeSSSsssSS

*****

SOUTH AMERICA

 

Michelle shook her head in bewilderment at Emily’s explanation.

“So, you made sure the spiders were outside of their encasement and led Peter there through a series of mysteriously unlocked doors? Wasn’t that a little risky?”

“Not really, the spider’s bites were harmless to everyone else and if there is one thing that I could count on it was Peter’s curiosity. He is a Parker after all.”

“It sounds like you knew them well.”

“We all knew each other well. Norman recruited the Parkers and the Blackwells and together we formed the most effective think tank in the world and the dearest group of friends I had ever had. We were going to change the world.” Emily said wistfully as if being transported back to that time in her life. Michelle sat down and waited patiently for her to continue. “In the beginning, being with Norman was a dream come true. This handsome billionaire plucked me out of a sea of beautiful women and whisked me away to a tower where he encouraged and supported my mind and my work. I know it is probably hard to believe but he was affectionate and doting and generous. I was madly in love with him.”

“But then Patricia’s husband died in a car accident the same month that Mary and I found out we were both pregnant. Greif, jealousy, and resentment twisted her mind until she was a shadow of her former self. Patricia’s specialty had actually been in Zoology. She had set out her career dreaming of saving all of these magnificent endangered species but ended up dissecting and destroying them to create artificial agony and hallucinogenic drugs for the highest bidder. Her behavior became so erratic that Norman sent her away to her own private laboratory. Come to find out, Norman was the one who was manipulating her into making the despicable drugs and selling them for his own profit. The only reason he sent her away was so that we wouldn’t find out and cut off his supply.”

“What happened next?” Michelle prompted her when Emily seemed to get lost in her thoughts.

“About four years after Harry was born, I walked in on Norman getting a chemotherapy treatment. I had had no idea that he was sick. All I wanted to do was help him, but he hated me for it. Every time I offered him a hand when his legs shook or brought him a glass of water after he vomited, he beat me. At first, I blamed the cancer. Then I blamed myself. By the time I realized my love and loyalty couldn’t change him, it was too late to get out and he had murdered the Parkers.”

“How did you get out?”

“After the Parker’s plane crash, I tried taking Harry and running away. I didn’t even make it to the airport and I earned myself the first of many scars.” She pointed to her face before continuing. “After a few more failed attempts, I got smarter and started compiling data. I listened to meetings, copied documents, and siphoned away important research findings to slow his progress. I only stayed because Harry was still there, and I knew that if his attention was on me then he wouldn’t take his anger out on our son. But last year, Norman’s obsession grew even worse, I knew that I would be dead before the year was out if I didn’t do something. I leaked documents to a reporter alluding to the type of research that was going on there. The story was never meant to see the light of day. Its only purpose was to catch someone’s attention. To catch SHIELD’s attention. Once you and your father showed up out of the blue, I knew that the article had worked and that it was time to leave. The only thing left to do was find a way to protect Harold, his father had already poisoned him against me and kept us isolated so there was no way I would have been able to convince him to come with me.”

“Is that why you turned Peter?”

“Yes. The two of them have been inseparable since birth. I knew that if Harry started showing up with black eyes or pulling away that Peter would do something. Plus, the spiders were his birth right. I reached out to the school and organized a field trip to get to Peter. I had no idea that he would turn into the Spider-Man, I just knew that he would be stronger. It was his character that made him a super hero. When the you-tube videos started surfacing on the internet, I knew it was time to go. So, I blackmailed Norman with over a decade worth of evidence and then reached out to some powerful friends for protection. I’ve been hopping around the globe ever since waiting for you to show up.”

“How did you know that my father and I were SHIELD?” Michelle wondered openly. Emily laughed, and it had an almost morbid ring to it.

“You can’t be married to the kingpin of crime in New York City for 17 years and not know how to spot a spy from a mile away. Plus, Coulson is an old friend.” Michelle nodded and then asked her the million-dollar question.

“So, you’re ready to go back and testify?”

“You and I both know I will never make it to the witness stand. But, I have prepared multiple flash drives with all of the information I have collected, they are completely clean and notarized, and the sheer amount of evidence is too great to be dismissed in any court of law.”

“Multiple?” 

“One for you and one for every major law enforcement agency in the world. Norman is powerful, but he can’t silence that many people and I’m not taking any chances.”

“Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me.” Michelle said as she watched the woman reach into the bag at her feet and then place the miniature flash drive in in her hand. 

“I do actually. Which reminds me, I’ve been working on a short acting cocktail of immune supportive and tissue regenerative DNA strands.”

“That’s great.” Michelle said with confusion not understanding what this had to do with her or their present mission. 

“I’ve only had time to make a single dose and it will most likely only work once, but it should be enough to jumpstart his recovery.” Michelle still didn’t connect the dots, so Emily did it for her as she placed a second object in her still outstretched hand. 

“For your father.”

Michelle felt chills break out all over her body as she looked down at her hand which held the physical manifestation of all of her desperate prayers. Tears pricked her eyes as she looked back up at Emily and started to shake her head. 

“It was the least I could do after dragging so many people into the mess my family has created. Besides, I didn’t do it alone….Fitz and Simmons say hello.” Michelle couldn’t help but crush the virtual stranger in a hug. After a beat, Emily returned the embrace warmly. 

“Let me pack my stuff and we can take off.” Emily said as she stood and started walking towards her tent. It took Michelle’s mind a few moments longer than usual to reboot and understand what she had said. 

“Wait, I thought you said you wouldn’t make it to the witness stand?”

“I won’t. As soon as that information surfaces he will hunt me down and kill me anyway, but I have to try to get through to my son before it’s too late for him too.”

******

QUEENS

 

“Yes! We’re in.” Ned exclaimed while turning and crushing Stretch in a massive hug. 

Peter jumped to his feet and leaned over the back of their chairs. 

“You guys are rock stars. I’m assuming this is a direct link to the robotics in the main the laboratory?”

“Yeerrp.” Stretch said around a mouthful of sour gummy worms as she tried to hide her blush at Ned’s easy affection. “Have at it Einstien.”

Peter pulled up a chair and then slid the keyboard over and immediately started reverse engineering Norman’s serum. He could hear the animated discussion happening in the background while he continued to solve equations and input data, but he didn’t have time to give input on whether or not Reylo was cannon. 

He had to stop a monster. 

It took him three hours and nearly all of his scientific knowledge, but he finally had a viable antidote for the serum. 

He leaned back and cracked his knuckles as the lab equipment automatically began to synthesize the appropriate materials. The antidote would take just under an hour to become fully active and then he would need to break in and steal it. 

Fortunately, his brilliant friends had released a self-cloning virus into Oscorp’s servers which would not only paralyze their business dealings, but also, cripple their security apparatus. He had never been more thankful to have such incredibly geeky friends. 

Peter looked up for what must have been the first time in hours to see Ned and Stretch sleeping on the couch in a sitting position while Star-Wars episode six played quietly from the television screen. Ned had his head on her shoulder and Stretch had let hers fall on his head. They made an odd-looking pair and yet somehow, Peter couldn’t helpful but think that they just seemed to fit together. He walked over and put a blanket over their sleeping bodies before going to his room to put his suit under his street clothes. 

He hated having the suit underneath his clothes, but he didn’t know what would be waiting for him at Oscorp and he was willing to bet he wouldn’t have time for a wardrobe change. After closing his door softly, he tip-toed into the kitchen to find May making a cup of coffee. 

“May? What are you still doing awake?” Peter asked curiously.

“I couldn’t sleep.” She said softly. She didn’t need to say it was because she was worried about him, he already knew. They were silent for a few moments just coexisting in the calm before the inevitable storm. 

“You should do some traveling, after all of this, I mean.” May said out of the blue. 

“Trying to get rid of me already?” Peter said cheekily. May punched him in the arm. 

“Well you do kind of suck as a roommate.” She said back with a shrug.

“That’s true. I’m always coming and going at strange hours.”

“Tracking soot and God knows what else through the rugs.” She said ticking off his offenses on her fingers.

“Never paying any of the bills.” He responded.

“And don’t forget the smell.” May said finally allowing the corner of her mouth to turn up. 

“Hey, I do not….Ok, sometimes I smell. But the suit is hard to wash, and you know I try.” Peter loved seeing the full-blown smile on her lips even though it faded a moment later. 

“I was just thinking about how much of the world I have gotten to see, and I just want to make sure you get to do that to.” Peter was amazed at how calmly she delivered that sentence when he could clearly see the tears gathering in her eyes. 

“May. I’m going to be ok.” He said gently while wrapping her in a hug.

“No, I know. I just. I want you to have a life filled with amazing experiences. You know the ones that don’t involve Green Goblins and Sandmans.” Peter laughed softly. 

“Alright, we’ll travel.” Peter didn’t actually know when he would take time to do that. He had always wanted to see the world but after the bite, there always seemed to be something more important. But, he had to give May at least this little assurance even if he wasn’t actually planning on going. Peter slung his arm over her shoulder and the pair looked out into the twinkling city lights.

“You know that no matter what happens, I am incredibly proud you, right?” May said after a few moments. 

“I know.” 

Peter was riding the subway into the city counting down the minutes until he reached Oscorp when he pulled out his phone and typed out a text to Michelle.

Peter: Almost home? :) 

Michelle: Why? You miss me?

Peter: Nah, I’m just getting tired of babysitting the computer geeks. 

Peter: I think Ned is in love. 

Michelle: YES! I knew they would hit it off. 

Michelle: We just landed at the compound. Heading towards NYC now. 

Peter: Really? That was fast!

It was another ten minutes before she responded, and he was nearly at his stop. 

Michelle: what like its hard? ;)

Michelle: How’s the antidote coming?

Peter: Done. I’m on my way to pick it up from the pharmacy now ;) 

Michelle: Wow. Who knew they would have anti-monster vaccines at the corner store. They really are convenient. 

Peter couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips. He was terrified beyond reason that one or all of them were not going to make it through this night, but even so, she was able to put a smile on his face. That was part of the magic between them. 

Peter: Meet me at Oscorp?

Michelle: …

The bubble containing a flashing ellipsis appeared on his screen for a few seconds, but no text ever came through. Peter hopped off the subway and started b-lining for Oscorp Tower. The menacing skyscraper was three times as intimidating with none of it's lights on, the virus they had released had caused a complete blackout leaving the place where the tower usually shown in the city nothing but an ominous shadow. He made it through the lobby and then sprinted up the stairs leaping over flights at a time without attracting any attention. The entire building was in a flurry trying to figure out why all of their electronics were malfunctioning, they didn't have time to notice a random teenage boy slipping between them. Once he reached the main door to the 45th floor, he stopped and checked his texts again under a flashing emergency light. 

Chills broke out across his skin when he saw that she still hadn’t responded, and the same pending text bubble still sat next to her name. 

Please be ok. 

*******

OSCORP Tower 

Penthouse Suite 

 

Norman was deep in a conversation with the other voice in his head when his assistant knocked on his door. Irrational anger boiled inside of him at the interruption. 

"I told you not to disturb me!!!" He yelled as he threw a lamp at the door shattering it.

"Sir, uh there has been a breach in security." Norman took a deep breath trying to calm the storm inside of him long enough to hear the boy out. 

"Come in." His assistant was practically shaking in fear when he stopped in front of his desk. 

"Sir, someone got through our firewall. They only took a very small amount of data, but they planted viruses that are spreading rapidly throughout our servers and our IT department is completely overwhelmed. The glitches and freezing have affected the entire building, business is at a standstill."

"Did the imbeciles at least track the breach?" Norman asked as a dark cloud of fury gathered in his chest.

"Queens, sir. The breach came from somewhere in Queens but they couldn't-"

pppPpppeeeEeeeTTTTteeeerr.

"Is there anything else?" Norman said shortly. He didn’t need any more information. He knew who was screwing with his business. He knew who needed to die. 

"Yes, your housekeeper just called."

"And?"

"Emily just picked Harry up from the apartment.” 

That venomous bitch. How dare she interfere with his plans. 

KKKkkkiiIIIlllLLLl HHHHHEeeerRRRrrrr.

“Was she alone?” 

“Uh, no sir. There was a teenage girl with them. One of Harry’s friends from school.” Norman’s hands balled into fists as a new acrimony bubbled up inside his chest. 

“Deploy everyone. I want all three of them in this tower within the hour.”

“Yes, sir. Of course, sir. Was there anyt-“

"Get OUT!!" Norman screamed at the bumbling assistant sending him sprinting for the door. Rage burned through his veins multiplying as it went.

KiiillllLLSsssSSs SSSssSSspppPPPiiiIIiDDddeEEeRRrrr

“Yes. I will kill him, but I will make him suffer first.”

HHHhhoooOOOoooWWwww

“The little punk has been parading around town with a new girlfriend.”

TTTHHhheeEEe GGggggiIIiRRllLLLll 

“I’m going to make him watch while I put her brain in a blender. Then, when she doesn’t even remember her name or who he is to her, I’m going to slit her throat.”

******

OSCORP Tower 

45th floor

 

Peter: MJ?

After texting her again, he broke the handle on the door and pushed through the sea of lab equipment until he came to the large centrifuge. The lab was dark, which was no doubt a result of the virus in the system, but the blue glow of a single screen led him straight to the source. 

“Serum Synthesizing” scrolled across the bright screen and Peter tapped his foot impatiently waiting for it to complete. He took the opportunity to look down at his phone again.

Michelle: …

A hundred logical reasons flashed through his mind explaining why she would not have responded yet, but the winning thoughts were those of dread and fear. 

Peter: Michelle? 

Just as he sent the last text a green screen appeared on the machine with the words ‘Serum Complete’ blinking boldly. Peter pushed the large button and pressurized air released from a compartment to the left of the screen revealing the precious vial of yellow liquid. He grabbed it and shoved it in his back pocket while his other hand began dialing Ned.

“Hello?” His best friend’s sleepy voice sounded from the other side. 

“Ned, I need you guys to track Michelle’s phone!”

“Huh?” 

“Ned. Wake. Up. I need to know where Michelle is now!” He knew he should take a deep breath and get his emotions under control but all he felt was a rising sense of panic.

“Oh crap. Alright. One second.” He heard the sounds of rustling and then the tell tail click of fingers against keyboards. 

“She left the compound about twenty-five minutes ago and went straight to an apartment in the Upper East Side.” Stretches voice flowed through the phone and Peter’s heart rate accelerated. She must have taken Emily to Harry. 

Why would she do that? That was a death wish.

“The SHIELD truck she was driving, and her phone are still there.” Ned added.

“I’m hacking into the security cameras now and linking you to the footage.” Stretch said determinedly. 

Before the footage even appeared on his screen, the gasps of his friends told him everything he needed to know.

He pulled his mask over his face and sprinted toward the window.

***** 

UPPER EAST SIDE

 

Michelle knew this had been a bad idea, but she owed Emily to at least try to get Harry out before they took Norman down. She agreed that he didn't deserve to be a part of the fallout, but it had simply taken too long to convince him to come along. She knew Osborn’s men were probably already closing in. They were sprinting across the lavish marble floors of the opulent apartment building towards the back door when she saw the first red dot appear on her chest. 

“Keep moving.” She yelled as they burst out the doors toward the SUV idling in the alley.

It was too late. 

She heard the guns fire and braced herself for the searing pain that didn’t come. 

Instead, she felt a small pinch in the side of her neck. 

She turned and watched as both Emily and her son lost conscience and then crumpled to the ground. 

She felt her legs tingle, but she still pulled out her handgun and shot three of the approaching men. 

Another pinch- this time in her calf.

Her knees buckled, and she was forced to go to a knee, but she turned and shot the person who had fired the last dart. 

A woman approached from her front and she pulled out a knife and slit her across her abdomen as her head began to swim. Her thoughts felt like they were trapped in molasses and she couldn't make her limbs move fast enough. 

A giant of a man appeared in front of her seemingly out of nowhere and was staring down at her menacingly. She went to stab him only to find that she couldn’t move her arms. 

She couldn't move anything.

Michelle watched helplessly as his thick hand fisted in the front of shirt and yanked upwards until her to her feet were dangling above the ground. She heard the clatter of her phone falling out of her back pocket and hitting the pavement and distantly remembered that she had forgotten to finish her text to Peter. The one that said 'its a date tiger <3' and had made her smile with hope that they might actually pull this crazy mission off. Funny how a few minutes could change everything. 

The last thing she remembered was his other fist coming towards her face.

Then everything went black.


	24. Forget

“Goodbye…?  
Oh no, please. Can’t we go back to page one and do it all over again?”  
-Winnie The Pooh

 

Peter hadn’t made it two steps before his spider-sense warned him of another presence in the room. He whirled around to see Norman Osborn himself standing at the door of the lab. 

“Leaving so soon?” He said sarcastically looking at the gold Rolex on his wrist. 

“What did you do with her?” Peter responded with a grave type of seriousness that rarely leaked into his voice.

“Oh, she’s on her way here Peter. I promised a friend of mine she could have a little fun with her mind.” He said with false sweetness. 

“You’ve got me. Let her go.” Peter said calmly as the two powerful men began to circle each other sizing each other up. Norman’s only response was to throw his head back and laugh maniacally. 

Peter’s heart rate sped up at the chilling sound and he watched as Norman jabbed a syringe into his leg and immediately started to grow. His eyes turned bright red and then the suited middle-aged man in front of him transformed into a giant snarling green monster.

KKKKKkkkkkkkIIIIiiiiiiiILLLlllLLL SSSSssssPPPPpppiIIIiiidDDDddEEEEeeerrRrrr.

“Not today ugly.” Peter said as he swooped into action kicking the beast in the stomach and ensnaring his legs in web. The green goblin grabbed him around the waist and threw him across the lab and where he crashed through multiple glass tables filled with lab equipment and chemicals. Peter rolled out of the impact effortlessly and shot webs pulling him directly into the monster’s chest. 

Spider-Man and Green Goblin fought their way through the 45th floor demolishing everything in their path as Peter waited patiently for the perfect opportunity to inject the antidote. It felt like hours, but in reality, it had probably only been minutes when that opportunity finally arrived. 

They were squared off on either side of a wall that the beast’s body had just made a giant hole in when Norman got overly cocky in his strength and took a huge swing at Peter with one clawed hand. When Peter dodged the swing, Norman over compensated and left his right flank open. Peter uncapped the needle and jabbed the serum directly into his abdomen before the monster had even completed his swing.

There was a terrifying suspended moment when nothing at all happened. 

Did it work?

Osborn grabbed Peter and threw him on the ground wrapping his hands around his neck and squeezing tightly. His lungs and throat screamed for oxygen, but even with all of his strength Peter couldn’t pry the talons away from his wind pipe.

Black started to encroach in on his field of vision and his arms weakened with every second. His back made a crunching noise as he squirmed against the rubble and glass littering the floor.

No. 

It should have worked. 

It would work right? 

Oh God. 

Just when he began to panic from lack of oxygen the red glow of Osborn’s eyes faded to reveal his human irises. 

“NNnnnnOOOoooo.” The beast yelled in despair as the green of his skin began to give way to tan. 

Peter grabbed his rapidly weakening arms, kicked him in the belly, and rolled out from under him gasping for precious air. 

Holy shit.

It worked. 

All he had to do now was deliver him to the police and then find Michelle and make sure she was safe. 

Michelle, hold on.

I’m coming.

Peter crawled to his feet taking deep gulps of air.

He had let his guard down too soon.

The lack of oxygen must have delayed his Spidey senses because right at he turned to restrain Norman a searing pain tore through his abdomen. 

“Ahhhhhhh.” Peter yelled in agony and confusion. He looked down and saw Norman on his knees pushing a giant piece of broken glass deeper into him. 

Peter was in utter shock as his brain processed the horror of seeing such a large object enter his body. Norman who was still catching his breath clambered to his feet before wrapping his arm behind Peter’s neck and bringing their foreheads together. Between panting breaths, he whispered into Peter’s rapidly paling face. 

“You should have killed me when you had the chance.”

Peter coughed and he tasted the metallic tang on his tongue as blood dribbled out of his mouth and down Norman’s chest. He couldn’t break free. He was completely frozen. 

“I want you to know that I’m going to torture her until she has no memory of who you are.” Peter’s mind was slowing down, and he couldn’t process Norman’s words at first.

Michelle. 

He is going to hurt Michelle.

No. 

Peter tried to shove Norman away, but his arms were too weak, and he only succeeded in dislodging him for a moment. Norman ripped the thick bloody shard out and plunged it back in a second time before Peter could even think to defend himself. 

The remaining air in his lungs left his mouth in a defeated whoosh. 

He didn’t even have the strength to scream at the excruciating pain. 

“I’m going to make her beg me to end her life and then, I will. It’s a pity you won’t be around to see it.”

Peter’s knees buckled equal parts from the terror at his words and the loss of blood.

He felt the world tip as his soul cried out for Michelle.

The next thing he knew he was on the floor looking up at Norman smiling down in pride. The billionaire’s hands were coated in thick red blood as he played with his weapon of choice victoriously. He must have ripped it out, but Peter couldn’t remember. 

Why couldn’t he remember? 

Why was it so cold?

Michelle. He’s going to hurt Michelle. 

Peter channeled all of his strength into sitting up. 

Come on Peter. 

Come on Spider-Man. 

Come on Spider-Man. 

His body screamed in pain as he sat up, but a moment later, Norman's foot connected with his chest and sent him straight back down to the floor. 

His strength had failed him. 

It was getting hard to breath.

Maybe he could just close his eyes for one second and then he would fight.

Norman laughed at his clearly evident distress. 

“I guess your parent’s magic serum didn’t make you invincible after all.” 

No. 

He was too cold. 

Fight Peter. 

He knew he was bleeding out, but he couldn’t make any move to stop it. 

Michelle. 

No.

His eyelids felt heavy and he battled just to keep them open desperate to make his body move. 

Desperate to save her. 

No. 

He wouldn’t let go. 

He promised her he wouldn’t let go. 

“Good-bye, Peter Parker.” 

*****

Michelle woke with a start and immediately started struggling against the metal restraints binding her to the vertical table. She forced herself to take a deep breath and try to catch her bearings. 

I’ve been here before.

She realized the strange sense of Deja vu came from having watched from Peter’s perspective as he lived this identical moment. Her head whipped up when she heard her least favorite voice in the world sound from across the room

"Morning sleeping beauty." Osborn said sneeringly from behind his desk as he picked something dark out of his fingertips. 

It took her awakening eyes a moment to adjust to the bright light of the room and when they did…. her worst nightmare came into focus. 

Peter’s body was lying limp across Norman’s vintage mahogany desk dripping blood ominously from a massive wound into a puddle on the floor. 

Peter. 

Why wasn’t his chest moving?

No. 

Why is he so pale?

No. No. 

This can't be happening. 

No.

Peter!!!!

Panic and fury clawed at her heart accelerating her breathing and sending adrenaline surging through her veins.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!?" She screamed as a suffocating terror rose up in her chest. She was unable to stop the tears from forming in her eyes. 

“I killed him.” Norman said nonchalantly. “Pity I wasn’t cleaner with it though. It’s going to take me days to get his blood out from under my fingernails.” 

Michelle’s eyes flipped back to Peter’s form and even while her mind reasoned that it couldn’t be true, that he couldn’t possibly be dead, she felt her soul break apart.

"You didn’t actually think you could beat me, did you?"

Michelle's whole body was shaking with terror, adrenaline, and fury so her voice trembled as she responded. 

"You've already lost you sadistic coward." She snarled across the room as her soul settled on anger as an acceptable replacement for despair. 

"You severely underestimate how powerful I am Michelle. Bring them in."

A moment later the heavy doors of his office swung open and Emily and Harry were marched into the room in handcuffs. 

"Oh god." Emily exhaled as tears filled her eyes at the site of Peter's body on Osborn's desk.

Harry mysteriously didn't react at all.

"Harold, well done my boy."

Harry dropped his scared captive body language in an instant and squared his shoulders with arrogance. The hand cuffs released, and he walked triumphantly over to stand behind his smug homicidal father. 

Emily gasped at her son’s sudden change in his demeanor. 

"I did exactly as you told me father. I called your security and then stalled as long as I could to make sure they were caught. This is the flash drive." Harry handed his father the flash drive and Norman smiled wider than the Cheshire Cat.

Emily's eye flipped over to Michelle's with complete defeat. They both knew that the flash drive was a dummy. They had left the real one at the SHIELD compound. As soon as the information was legitimized, SHIELD would swarm the place and arrest the bastard. Norman had already lost everything, he was simply far too prideful to see it and evidently determined on making as much carnage as possible in the meantime. This whole charade had been Emily’s test to see how deeply his influence ran through her son. 

Apparently, it ran deeper than his loyalty to his mother.

Michelle looked on numbly as Emily’s pain overtook her and she crumbled to her knees. Her grief at the betrayal was palpable in the otherwise silent room. 

“I’m so sorry.” She whispered. 

Norman laughed sneeringly. 

“Look son, your mother is about to beg for her life. The weak always do in the end.”

Emily looked up directly into Harry’s eyes ignoring Norman’s slur. 

“I’m sorry I let him get to you.” Harry’s proud face fell slightly, and Norman launched to his feet in anger pulling a gun out of the desk drawer. 

“Enough. Your treachery ends here, Emily.” 

Tears freely fell down Emily’s face as her ex-husband put the harsh metal up against her forehead and cocked the gun. Emily stared him down without fear. 

Michelle’s breath hitched. 

No. Please no.

“I should have done this years ago.” Norman said as his mouth tipped up by the corner. Michelle felt time slow down as his finger began to squeeze the trigger. 

“Nooo.” Michelle screamed struggling against her restraints anew desperate to push Emily out of the way. 

Someone beat her to it. 

Harry dove and tackled his father right as the gun fired. The two Osborn men tumbled and wrestled while Emily’s body collapsed to the floor.

“Mom!” Harry yelled after punching his father in the face and crawling over to her hunched form. Harry flipped her over and pulled her across his lap while saying her name over and over again and searching frantically for a way to stop the torrent of blood pouring from her chest. 

Norman stood and pulled out his cell phone but made no move to stop his son from embracing his mother. 

As soon as Harry had rolled her over, Michelle knew that Emily was going to die. Harry had managed to knock his father down, but the trajectory of the bullet had also traveled down. 

Straight through Emily’s chest. 

Michelle had seen this type of injury before. 

She had lived it.

“No! mom. No. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Please don’t die. MOM!” Harry cried as his hands tried desperately to quench the flood of blood pouring out of her. 

Emily’s hand came up and cradled Harry’s tear stained cheek as she looked directly into his eyes. Her chest was heaving and sputtering as she fought to take shallow breaths while her lungs and chest filled with blood. 

“You’re…..not….him.” She whispered between gasps. 

“Mom! I’m so sorry. Please. I’m so sorry. I love you mom. Don’t go. Don’t go. Don’t go.” Harry cried in anguish shaking his head back and forth repeatedly.

Emily took one heaping breath and let one final word fall out of her lips. 

“Tesoro…”

My darling.

Michelle saw the moment that her eyes lost focus and glassed over. Her hand fell from his cheek leaving only a bloody print on her only son’s pale cheek as her soul left this world. The cry of utter anguish that left Harry’s mouth as he squeezed her limp body even tighter to himself tore through Michelle’s heart.

She couldn’t breathe.

It was too much.

Too much pain. 

Too much loss. 

Peter. 

Emily. 

She probably would have spiraled uncontrollably into despair if Norman’s voice didn’t snap her out of her self-induced panic attack. 

“Quentin, I need you both in my office.” 

Michelle stared daggers at Norman. 

“You will pay for every single one of your crimes.” She said squaring her shoulders even as her voice wobbled. 

“Well you’re certainly not going to remember them. So, who exactly is going to arrest me?”

“Rot in hell, asshole.” 

Norman’s response was cut off when Patricia and a mysterious man came into the room accompanied by a few of Norman’s security officers. The woman was carrying a tray with what must have been twenty syringes in varying colors and opacities. Michelle didn’t recognize the man wearing an expensive black suit. He had some sort of mask that obscured his features just enough to dispel any familiarity but still clearly left his blue eyes and jet-black hair visible. 

“Ahh, boys will you please remove the filth. I don’t want her to stain the hard wood.”

The security team pried Emily’s body out of Harry’s shaking arms and he screamed and fought them the entire time. Harry launched to his feet and was about to tackle his father again when the mysterious man said one single commanding word that caused chills to break out all over Michelle’s body.

“Sleep.” 

Harry’s eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed to the ground in a limp heap. 

What the hell was that?

Was he a mutant? 

An alien?

“Thank you, Quentin. Please make sure he forgets this entire regrettable interlude. In fact, make sure he forgets her all together.”

“As you wish.” The masked man picked Harry up as if he weighed nothing and then strode out of the room like an apparition. 

“He will hate you regardless of what you strip away.” Michelle spat at Norman as anger began to overtake the sorrow and despair in her mind. Norman’s eyes flashed and he charged over to her wrapping both hands around her throat and squeezing painfully. 

“Shut your mouth.” He yelled as he slammed her head back against the metal table repeatedly crushing her windpipe.

Ouch.

That’s another concussion for sure. 

As her eyes cleared of the stars from the impact, Michelle recognized a madness and unpredictability in his blood shot eyes that hadn’t been there before. 

For the first time since she woke up, she knew she was going to die. This was a man driven mad by his greed and power. This was a man who would snap her neck without a second thought.

In fact, he might be halfway there already. 

Michelle’s mind began to swim from the lack of oxygen. 

Maybe this was it. Maybe this was how it all ended. 

Maybe she should be grateful.

It would be a relief from the pain at least. 

Just as her mind began to accept her fate, the skeletal woman in the lab coat unexpectedly came to her rescue. 

“Sir.” 

After a long beat, Norman’s eyes cleared slightly and he released her bruised neck. Michelle coughed and gasped for air as Norman walked over to Patricia and petted her head gently.

“I’m sorry, I must’ve gotten carried away. She’s all yours my pet.” 

As her heaving breaths scraped down her abused throat, Michelle looked into Patricia’s eyes and saw that they lacked even an ounce of empathy. This woman knew that Michelle had dropped a building on her face and her precious lab and now she wanted her revenge.

This was going to hurt. 

In other situations, Michelle might have tried to reason with the woman and find common ground. That was surviving interrogation protocol 101, but she could see from the start that it would be futile. Besides, Michelle didn’t really mind whatever physical pain the woman could throw at her, it would be nothing compared to the agony already ravaging her soul. 

Without her permission, her eyes traveled back over to Peter’s form and filled with tears once again.

“Don’t stop until she has completely forgotten him.” Norman said distractedly while typing on his phone.

What? 

“She will be lucky to remember her own name.” Patricia responded menacingly. 

No. 

That’s not possible. 

I won’t forget you Peter. I promise. 

They can’t make me forget, can they?

Michelle watched in helpless anticipation as the gaunt woman cleaned her arm with a cold alcohol swab barely containing the glee on her face. 

Breathe, Michelle. Breathe. 

She clenched her teeth as the needle punctured the skin and the red liquid disappeared into her body. 

Breathe, Michelle. You can do this. Go to your happy place. 

At first, there was a numb sort of warmth that spread through every vein down her legs and arms, in her head, and finally around her heart. 

Then there was only pain.

\----

Michelle's head lulled back and forth as tears streamed down her face silently. She couldn't make any sound. Her throat ached from Osborn's punishing grip. Every time she swallowed it felt like sandpaper scraping down her esophagus. Whatever was left of her voice, she had screamed away hours ago. 

The diabolical woman had injected her countless more times with different serums- each more painful than the last. The latest had caused vivid hallucinations of her worst fears on a loop for what seemed like hours. 

She was forced to relive in vivid detail all of the great horrors from her life, her friends killing each other when Hydra fell, her mom and her getting shot over and over and over again, her father being right in front of her but always walking away and always just out of reach, and Peter. Peter dying in front of her eyes over and over and over again. Each time he died, her mind retreated further and further inside itself trying to escape the pain.

After each trip, Norman, who had been watching from the peripheral would ask her one question while pointing to Peter’s still unmoving body.

“Who is that?”

“Peter.” She would whisper hoarsely and then Patricia would inject her again.

She was distantly aware that a lot of time must have passed. She heard a tinkering beside her and knew it must be that awful ghoulish woman preparing another concoction of evil and terror. 

Michelle wasn't sure she could take another one. 

She would rather die than watch everyone she loved die around her on a continuous loop. 

No. 

She knew she had to keep fighting. 

Norman had already taken the love of her life. 

She wouldn’t let him take his memory too. 

The physical pain excoriating through her body was causing her to shake and convulse uncontrollably. Her body was weakening. So was her will.

Just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, the mysterious man in a mask returned to the room. She tensed as Patricia injected her with a viscous purple fluid and she felt herself immediately dissociate from her own mind out of self-preservation. She watched in abject horror as the masked man began to hypnotize and manipulate her. 

“Forget him.”

No.

“He is no one.”

He is everything.

“He never loved you.”

He adored me. 

“You are alone.”

What do you mean?

“You will always be alone.”

I will? 

“No one will ever love you, Michelle.”

Maybe not like he did.

“Forget him.”

“Forget him.” She echoed in a barely audible whisper.

“He is no one.”

“Who is he?” She wondered.

“He never loved you.”

“Who never loved me?”

No!

Don’t forget!

Don’t what?

Forget who?

The scientist continued to pump her body full of drugs but suddenly she didn’t know why or how she had gotten here. 

“Is it done?” Norman’s voice snapped across her consciousness. 

As the latest serum washed through her veins, a particularly violent shutter revealed that she could slide her wrist out of the restraint. 

Sometime in her struggle she must have broken her thumb. 

She squinted her swollen eyes open to see the woman's back to hers. She slid her wrist out of the metal restraint as silently as possible as her body continued to twitch. 

She couldn’t remember why but she knew she had to fight.

She would only get one shot at this. 

The woman turned around with an evil grin pulling up the unscarred side of her face.

"This one is incredibly painful, but if she survives it, she should have no retrievable memory of herself."

The woman went to Michelle's now deeply bruised arm to find an unblown vein. She thought distantly that she looked like a drug addict as red tracks streaked up both of her arms towards her heart. The thick serums had caused severe phlebitis that contrasted deeply with her clammy skin. 

Fight, Michelle. 

A voice commanded deep from inside of her. 

She wasn’t sure who it was, but she listened. 

Just as the woman leaned in to inject her concoction, Michelle grabbed the syringe and channeled all over strength into turning it and plunging it into the woman's heart. The woman's dead eyes flared with panic as Michelle emptied the entire contents of the syringe into her chest and watched with triumph as the woman collapsed onto the floor and began to scream.

Have a nice trip, you venomous bitch.

“Still fighting I see.” Norman said with disappointment completely unconcerned with ‘his pet’ who was writhing uncontrollably at his feet. “I thought you said this would work, Quentin.”

“Hasn’t it, sir?” 

The strangely confident man stepped back and revealed a severely wounded boy lying on a desk. Michelle squinted her eyes trying to make sense of the situation. 

Why was she here?

What had she gotten herself into?

“Who is that?” She whispered letting her curiosity overwhelm her instincts to stay silent. 

Norman began laughing. Michelle’s eyes flipped back to his in question. 

Should she know who that was?

“He is no one. Just like you.” 

Then without warning he picked up another syringe from the tray and plunged it directly into her heart. 

“Goodbye, Michelle.”

******

Peter woke to the sound of screaming.

Michelle?

He peaked his eyes open and saw that he was back in Norman’s office. He had been badly wounded, but he could feel that his body had already begun to heal. That must be why he woke up.

He was still weak, but he could feel the strength seeping back into his veins. 

Osborn’s lead scientist was writhing on the ground at his feet and Norman was laughing with glee. 

What’s going on?

That same magnetic pull that always seemed to connect them pulled his eyes to the metal table that had held him captive only a few days ago. 

Michelle.

No. 

She was pale and writhing in pain. Her entire body convulsed against the restraints, her face was red and soaked with teats that fell in waves, and her mouth was wide open as if she was screaming but no sound was coming out. 

I’m coming baby. Hold on. 

Peter extended his arm and launched a web grenade capturing the mysterious masked man standing in front of her in a giant ball of webs. 

Norman’s laughter was immediately replaced with a frustrated growl. 

“Why won’t you just die!!” He yelled as he marched across the room.

Peter heaved his body over the side of the desk and landed on his hands and knees and then used all of his might to stand up. He could still hear Michelle’s body clattering against the metal and that sound alone gave him the strength to fight.

I’m coming. Hold on. Don’t let go. 

Norman charged up to him trying to punch him, but Peter dodged it effortlessly. Even injured, a human Norman Osborn was no match for Spider-Man. 

Norman swung again but only connected with air. 

The irate man let out a frustrated growl and tried to pull out a gun. Peter webbed it away before he could even aim. 

When Norman tried to attack him again, Peter dropped him with one forceful right hook. 

Osborn spit blood on the floor and then looked up at Peter through an already swelling eye. 

“You will never beat me, Peter Parker.”

“You’re right, Norman. I never could….” 

Peter had heard them coming, but Norman was in complete shock when all of the doors in the office swung open and SHIELD agents flooded the space training their weapons directly on his chest. 

“….but unlike you, I’m not alone.”

The armed men and women moved in and quickly detained Norman, while a man in a suit and tie walked over to Peter and extended his hand. 

“Spider-Man. I’m Agent Coulson.” 

******

Coulson watched as the severely wounded boy ignored him and started limping across the room. The young man should be dead having sustained the wounds that were still clearly visible in his abdomen, but he still found a way to make it across the room to Agent 217. 

He watched in amazement as the Spider-Man used all of his remaining strength to break open the metal restraints and catch Michelle’s crumbling body. 

As it was, he still had to take a knee to support her weight. 

Coulson stepped closer and Fitz and Simmons mirrored his actions from the other side. They needed to get these kids out of here and treat them as soon as possible but all three agents were frozen by the anguished sound of the boy’s shaking voice as he held Michelle’s unresponsive head in his hands. 

“Michelle?”

She made no purposeful response as the boy’s tears fell from his eyes and landed on her cheeks. 

“Baby, please wake up. I love you. I love you. Please, don’t let go.”

“I love you. I’m so sorry.” 

The boy kissed her softly on the forehead, then on both cheeks, and then her lips while clutching onto her pale hand. The entire room of agents was frozen by the gut-wrenching display of raw emotion.

“I love you.”

A moment later he passed out, breaking the spell on the room. 

Coulson and his team swooped into action transporting the two teens to the compound via helicopter. Even in his unconscious state, the young man in his tight red suit didn’t let go of Michelle’s hand the entire time. No one on the team had the heart to pry their hands apart. 

As soon as, they landed the young heroes were rushed into separate medical bays as Fitz and Simmons commanded the medical staff into action. 

Coulson sat heavily in one of the cold chairs in the waiting room thinking about the sacrifices the young agent had made.

He had always known that she was an incredible agent, but she had just accomplished something truly remarkable. She had taken down the most untouchable crime lord in the world. She had overcome insurmountable odds and put together her own team of young heroes in order to do it. 

He couldn’t be prouder of the young Agent Jones.

Four hours later, Dr. Anderson came out through the surgical doors still drying her hands on a towel. 

“Phil.” He stood and embraced his old friend. 

“Lucy. It’s good to see you. How is he?”

“His self-healing did most of the work for us, we just finished the job and cleaned him up. That is one remarkable young man.” 

“Yes, he is. What about Michelle?” 

Fitz and Simmons came through a separate set of doors at that exact moment.

“She’s stable. We got the seizures under control. Now we just have to wait for all of those drugs to leave her system.” Gemma said confidently. Years of learning each other’s body language allowed Coulson to immediately recognize the doubt in Fitz’s eyes. 

“What is it?” Fit’s looked up at Coulson and took a deep breath as if gathering courage. 

“The drugs that we found in her system were not just hallucinogenic or painful. They were from a very specific family of chemicals that causes amnesia.”

“So, she’s not going to remember being tortured?” Dr. Anderson asked. 

“The levels we found were incredibly concentrated.” Fitz said as a half answer. 

He was holding back.

“Speak your mind Fitz.” Coulson commanded.

“Sir, she may never wake up. If she does she may not remember anything. She might not know who she was let alone be at her previous functioning levels. There is no research on what that concentration of chemicals does to the human mind because for all intents and purposes, she should have died….” Fitz let his somber explanation trail off and then looked to Simmons for help. 

“What he is trying to say, sir, is that we should prepare for the worst.”

“What do you mean?” Dr. Anderson asked with a broken voice as tears gathered in her eyes.

“Michelle may be gone forever.” Fitz said gently. 

Dr. Anderson’s breath caught, and she paced away from the group trying to reign in her emotions. 

Coulson turned toward the group somberly. 

“We need to have a contingency in place.” 

******

Peter woke with a start in a cold sterile-white room dressed in only a hospital gown and boxers. He quickly lifted the gown to examine his abdomen and saw the lines of thick black stitches that were aiding in healing his wounds. 

Michelle. 

He quickly shed the confining leads, cables, and IV’s so he could swung his legs over the side of the bed and find her.

After an initial wave of dizziness stalled him, he hopped out of the bed and then immediately padded out of the room searching for anyone who could tell him where Michelle was. 

She had to be ok. 

She had to. 

Peter was just about to enter another corridor when he practically toppled over a doctor. The woman was wearing a white coat but beyond that she looked more like an action hero with tattoos and cropped hair than she did a physician. 

“Parker, you should be in bed. You had major abdominal surgery twenty-four hours ago.”

How had he let that much time pass?

“Where is she?” Peter asked immediately. He didn’t care if they ripped out every stitch in his body. He had to see her. 

“She’s in the ICU, but I don’t think it’s such a good idea for you to see her.”

“What do you mean? Is she ok? What’s going on?” He began to push past the woman, but she put her arm around him gently to stop his forward progress. Peter could have easily overpowered her but something in her eyes made him pause.

“Is she…” He couldn’t even finish the statement. 

“Yes, she’s alive.” Relief flooded over him, but he still desperately needed to see her with his own two eyes. He needed to feel her alive and well in his arms before he could fully relax. 

“Take me to her.” Peter demanded. 

“Peter, she is not the same girl who went in to the tower.” The doctor said conspicuously while rubbing her forehead in exaughstion. 

“I don’t care. Take me to her.” The only thing keeping Peter from raising his voice was Ben’s voice echoing around his conscience telling him to never yell at his elders. 

“Peter, they have asked me to keep you two apart. Everyone thinks that that will be the best solution.”

Anger flooded through Peter’s system at her words. 

No one could keep them apart. 

He strode past the woman and went directly through the double doors marked ICU.

He had to see her with his own eyes. 

He had to know she was ok. 

He had to tell her he loved her. 

Peter swallowed down the anxiety clawing at his chest and prepared himself for the worst as he passed multiple bays with glass doors searching frantically for his girlfriend and ignoring the doctor on his heels. 

The scene that greeted him shocked him.

Michelle was sitting up on a bed looking slightly pale but other than that entirely healthy. She had the same lines and leads on her that he had but she didn’t seem to mind at all. She was hugging one of the SHIELD agents who had been at Oscorp last night. 

He couldn’t believe his eyes. She really was safe. She really was alive. They had done it. 

A nagging thought in the back of his mind warned him that there had been a reason why the doctor tried to keep them apart, but the relief and joy of seeing her awake pushed that thought far away. 

Peter watched silently as she self-consciously accepted all of the attention and love being thrown at her. Michelle hugged them all tightly but quickly dropped her head as if she was ashamed or embarrassed that they had all been worried about her. 

That was his Michelle alright.

Peter shook his head and took a deep breath finally ready to push his way through her doting friends, when Michelle’s eyes finally found his from across the room.

He felt the magnetic tension that always trapped him when she was near settle deep in his soul. 

He heard her breath hitch.

That was it.

Nothing could have stopped him from striding confidently over to the bed and crushing her to himself. The onlookers backed away silently allowing them a moment of reunion. 

For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why there was pity on all of their faces. 

Peter pulled back looking deeply into her eyes and was captured, like always, in her soulful brown irises. 

Something was different. 

Where before he had seen the reflection of his own love, he saw only bemused curiosity in her ever-inquisitive eyes. 

“Michelle?” He asked hesitantly. She cocked her head slightly and furrowed her eyebrows like she often did when she was trying to solve a problem.

Since when was he a problem?

All of the hair on his skin stood straight up warning him of danger, but he looked around the room and found none.

What’s going on? 

Turns out it was his heart that was in danger, because the next hoarsely whispered words out of her mouth nearly shattered him in two. 

“Do I know you?”


	25. Epilogue

"Two atoms may collide and separate never to meet again. Others can stick together by virtue of the chemical bonds they form, until the day that bond is broken....  
But there is another type of connection that is far more powerful and romantic. Certain objects can become linked by a mysterious process called entanglement. Particles that become entangled are connected regardless of the distance between them. If they become separated by the width of the universe, the bond between them remains intact. These particles are so deeply linked that it's as if they somehow share the same existence."  
-The Formula for Quantum Entanglement

Four months later….

May Parker pounded on the wooden door of her nephew's room. 

“Peter! Wake. Up! You are not skipping the field-trip to the Museum of Modern Art. I don’t care how late you stayed out.” A frustrated yet good natured grumble sounded from the other side of the door. May waited until she heard footsteps to go back to the kitchen and finish making breakfast. 

Peter had been staying out later and later and it was all May could do most days to make him stay in school for a full day of classes. He was getting straight A’s and he had even added on classes so he could graduate a year early, but she still insisted that he go and be a kid for a few hours a day. 

He had been so serious since Michelle disappeared. She still doesn’t fully understand how a person can have their memory stolen from them, but she had seen how much that girl loved Peter. There is no way she would have left if she remembered even a fraction of what they had. 

May hadn’t told Peter this but she still believed they would find their way back to each other. 

Then again, maybe that was just the hopeless romantic that Ben had turned her into. 

“What’s for breakfast?” Peter said with false excitement as he trotted into the kitchen with his shirt only half way on. Her eyes didn’t miss the deep bruising marring his skin or the small pink scars from the bullet holes in his shoulder or the twin lines on his abdomen. His super healing was impressive but even it had its limits and the scars that were left behind were sobering reminders of the danger he placed himself in willingly every day. His head popped out of the top of a graphic tee with the words ‘Lettuce the taste of sadness’ on the front and they both pretended she didn’t see the bruises or the scars marring his torso. 

They had been playing this game for a while now. Peter would stay out at all hours and then pretend he wasn’t exhausted in the morning, May would pretend to buy it despite the dark circles under his eyes and the incessant yawning mid-sentence. 

Then they would both pretend not to miss Michelle. 

“Pop tarts a la coffee.” May said dramatically presenting the strudel on a paper towel to her nephew. 

“MMMMmm. My favorite.” Peter said sarcastically. 

“Listen, you know that if you want a home cooked breakfast than you have to supervise every step. It’s not my fault you can’t wake up on time, Sleeping Beauty.”

“Touché.” He said as he guzzled down half a pot worth of coffee in one long sip. May knew she should probably be limiting his coffee intake, but she just couldn’t bear to. He looked like he needed it. 

“How are you?” May asked gently.

“I’m fine, the bruises are all pretty superficial. They should be gone before the day is done.”

“I’m glad to hear it, but you know that’s not what I meant.” Peter took another large sip of coffee and looked out the window at the rising sun peaking over the skyline. May waited patiently for him to be ready to speak.

“I miss her.” 

May recognized the genuine heartbreak packed into those three little words all too well. She said the same thing when people asked her about Ben. 

May saw him blink his eyes a few times to clear the tears that tried to gather there. He hadn’t let himself cry except for that first night when he came home from the compound and collapsed in May’s arms recounting what had happened between shaking breaths.

“I believe that deep down she misses you too.” May said softly while clearing away the paper towels and crumbs. 

“You can’t miss something you never had, May.” Peter said with a note of hopeless resignation.

“Can’t you?” Peter seemed to seriously ponder her words for a moment, but then he smiled cheekily and disengaged from the conversation completely. He did that a lot now too. If the conversation got to real or too heavy he would change the subject or run out the door.

May didn’t know how to make it better. She wasn’t sure she could.

“Gotta run, lots of art to ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ over.” 

“One day you will thank me for making you go on your school field trips.” She said with her arms crossed over her chest indignantly.

“Don’t hold your breath.” Peter said with a smirk. But he crossed the room and hugged her tightly, so the words didn’t have any real bite. 

“Love you, twerp.” She said while ruffling her hair. 

Peter turned and was already halfway out the door when she heard the answering yell.

“Love you, May.”

****** 

“Peter!”

Michelle sat straight up in her seat breathing heavily while the remnants of her nightmare faded from her consciousness. Then she cleared her throat and apologized to the woman sitting next to her in the plane’s cabin. 

She hadn’t meant to fall asleep. 

This had been happening a lot- the nightmares.

She couldn’t recall what images had scared her so profoundly in her sleep. They always disappeared from her consciousness the moment her eyes re-opened.

“Who’s Peter?” The kind woman asked handing her a napkin to dab the beads of sweat off her forehead. Michelle took a deep breath trying to slow her heart rate.

“What do you mean?” She asked curiously. That was a strange question to ask your seat mate.

“Oh, sorry. You yelled out his name. I figured he might be important to you.” Michelle smiled sadly and shook her head and the woman went back to reading her book. 

Huh? I don’t know anyone named Peter. 

She had been having these horrible dreams ever since she woke up in the hospital. She woke up every day in the middle of a panic attack with tears in her eyes having gained no more insight as to why than the night before.

Michelle left that out of her mandatory debriefings with the SHIELD psychologist because she knew what those symptoms meant. They would diagnose her with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and then bench her for the foreseeable future. Only she couldn’t remember what had been so traumatic, so that would do her no good. Sure, the serums had been painful, and she did see Emily die in front of her eyes, but she was an agent and she had lived through worse days than that. 

She didn’t understand why only now her mind decided to betray her in her sleep. 

She couldn’t tell the psychologist because she would put her on a sleeping medication and she didn’t want to sleep any more than she had to. Besides, Fury had just promoted her to senior operative-the youngest in agency history- because of her success on the Oscorp assignment. She wouldn’t be side lined by a few bad dreams.

Her current regime of staying awake as long as possible and then basically passing out had limited the amount of dreams she was having so that was good. Plus, she was quickly approaching Stretch’s all-time record for most energy drinks consumed in one day without having a heart attack. 

Yep, she was coping fine. 

She just had to keep moving.

Since waking up, she had remembered almost everything that Fitz and Simmons had theorized she never would. It didn’t come back all at once, but it had all come back. She remembered her life, her family, her training, and even most of her latest mission. She remembered the Osborn’s and she could vividly recall how her father got injured, but her mind wouldn’t let her access all of that time in Queens. 

There was this whole other part to the mission that was like static in her brain. She knew it was there but no matter what they tried-drugs, lucid dreaming, hypnotherapy- she couldn’t reach it. There were only these fragments and impressions that snuck through the cracks when she fell asleep. She supposed they could actually be hallucinations but something about them was far too familiar to write off. 

Kind of like the boy in the hospital room when she woke up. She got this eerie sense that she should have known him, but she didn’t. He was a complete stranger and even now he didn’t spark a single memory or emotion. That’s why she had asked Coulson to make sure her next assignment was outside of New York. 

She thought that she needed a fresh start. 

It turned out she needed to know what happened even more. 

She needed to know whose voice called out to her whenever she was about to wake up. 

She ached to know who it was. 

Maybe his name was Peter.

Peter.

She mulled the name around in her mind for a few more minutes and ended up shrugging it off. 

It didn’t seem to mean anything to her. 

She had even gone back and read all of her field reports hoping to fill in the missing pieces. Unfortunately, she had had an attitude problem with her assignment and all she learned from the sarcastic memos was that Harold Osborn had a skinny friend and a friend who really liked Legos and they were all huge nerds. 

Useless. 

She would never fib a field report again

Ok, she would never fib a field report after this one. 

She looked out the window of the plane as it descended into LAX. 

It hadn’t been easy considering all she had to go off of was a first name and an eye color, but after nearly four months, she had finally tracked down the man responsible for stealing her memories. 

Quentin Beck.

The world knew him as an award-winning special effects artist responsible for some of the most breathtaking cinematic shots in history. 

What the world didn’t know was that his mastery of illusion didn’t end when the director yelled cut. He was one of the most infamous criminals in the world and he was living right under their noses basking in a spotlight.

Quentin Beck was far more than the average Hollywood playboy. He has PhD’s in chemistry, robotics, and psychiatry and spent years mastering the art of hypnotism. 

Michelle wasn’t a fan. She should arrest him and bring him into SHIELD for immediate interrogation and confinement, but she couldn’t risk having him snatched out of her grasp. Not before he removed whatever block he had placed in her mind. 

She had to know.

Was she obsessing over this? Definitely. 

Should she stop? Undoubtedly.

But she couldn’t. There was this pull from deep within her that wouldn’t let her give up. 

She had to know.

Plus, it had been a pain in the ass to keep all of her investigating off of SHIELD’s radar, so she at least needed to try and see it through. 

Michelle told her handlers that she needed a vacation from the debriefings and training, so she was going to California to soak up some sun and watch a sunset over the pacific. What she was actually doing was confronting a man on SHILED’s most wanted list without back up and without any intention of bringing him in.

Let’s call it a white lie. 

She navigated her way quickly through the LA streets until she came to a posh apartment building downtown. Michelle easily hacked the code to the back door and then took the service elevator to the penthouse suite, where she finally found the infamous Quentin Beck. 

Much to her aggravation, he was not alone. He was in a giant bed with two very naked women.

She didn’t have time for this. 

Michelle cocked her handgun loudly catching the disrobed individuals’ attention.

“Get out.”

The two girls screamed and dove out of the bed searching for clothes, but Quentin just smirked and sat up further in bed as naked as the day he was born. 

“Michelle, it’s good to see you.” He said cockily as the girls slammed the door behind them after their hasty retreat out of the suite. 

“Put some clothes on. We need to talk.” 

She wasn’t here to play games.

Michelle had planned this entire exchange carefully. 

She had taken him by surprise. 

She had adequate blackmail to make this worthwhile.

She had made sure no one from SHIELD knew she was here. 

Fraternizing with people on the world’s most wanted list was generally frowned upon. 

Quentin stood up and stretched dramatically before grabbing a silk robe and synching it around his waist. 

Now that he was clothed, Michelle lowered her weapon. 

“What can I help you with Ms. Jones?” Quentin said casually as he padded into the living area and made himself a drink. It was the middle of the afternoon. 

“I want my memories back.”

“I’m sure you do, but what’s in it for me?” He queried while nonchalantly dropping ice into his class as if this was a social visit and not an ambush.

“Me not revealing your identity to the multiple international law enforcement agencies currently hunting you down. You have taken hiding in plain sight to a new level.”

“Thank you. It’s always nice to meet one of my adoring fans.” Michelle rolled her eyes and waited for him to ask the question they both knew was coming. “What is to stop me from hypnotizing your cute bottom right out of my apartment and back to New York?” 

Quintin sipped his drink casually. Although, the playboy act was good, Michelle could tell that it was just that. You couldn’t be a 27-year-old billionaire, have three PhD’s, and have become a master illusionist by drinking your days away in a penthouse. 

This was a ruse he was using to make Michelle underestimate him. 

She would not. She had experienced first-hand how powerful this man was. 

“Because the data cache that will be dumped onto the internet if I don’t walk out of here in one piece does not paint you in the most flattering light, Mr. Beck.” Michelle squared her shoulders and stared him down. 

He shouldn’t underestimate her either. 

“Wow, so the straight-laced SHIELD agent comes to the international criminal mastermind for help. You must be truly desperate.” Michelle chose to ignore the bait in that sentence and go straight to the point.

“I want you to take down the walls in my mind. I want my memories back and as you can see, I’m willing to bend the rules to get them. Do we have a deal or not?”

“What is to stop you from going to the authorities as soon as I give you what you want?” Quentin asked curiously as his intelligent blue eyes pierced through Michelle’s.

“Block my memory of you, Mr. Beck. A deal’s a deal. I get my memories and you keep your anonymity. I can’t turn in someone I don’t know.”

“You also can’t feel guilty for letting a criminal go free, if you have no memory of it.” Quentin saw easily through Michelle’s plan, she smiled confidently. 

Both sides lost, and both sides gained.

This was a trade of intelligence.

Fair and square.

Michelle waited patiently for the man to make up his mind.

“Very well. You can have your precious memories Ms. Jones. I never really liked Osborn anyway.” Quentin set the class on the table and then walked firmly into Michelle’s personal space. 

Up close, the man was strikingly handsome. His blue eyes almost looked like glass against his tanned skin and black hair. His features were all strong angles and his body looked like it was chiseled out of stone. It was slightly disarming to have the six foot three Adonis looming over her and yet Michelle wasn’t attracted to him in the slightest. 

This was why she needed her memories back. She had deduced from her various symptoms that her heart irrevocably belonged to someone else. 

Someone she couldn’t remember, but her soul couldn’t forget.

Please let this work. 

“This will probably hurt a little bit.” Quentin said calmly as his hands came up on either side of her face and held her still. 

“Close your eyes.” She took one last look at Quentin praying silently that this had been the right thing to do and then closed her eyes and resigned herself to her fate. 

She had to know. 

A few moments passed, and nothing happened, so she peaked her eyes open. Quentin’s usually confident veneer had been replaced with complete and utter shock.

At first, she didn’t understand his expression, but then he brought his hand in front of his face and they both watched as it began to crumble and fade into dust.

“Don’t you dare.” Michelle grabbed the front of his robe thinking that this was one of his infamous illusions. 

“This is isn’t me.” Quentin said earnestly and something about the terror in his eyes made Michelle believe him. 

“Help me.” His terrified eyes implored her, but there was nothing she could do.

One second, she had a handful of his robe, the next he slipped through her fingers and faded out of existence in a dusty breeze. 

What the hell?

Am I going insane? 

Have I been drugged?

Her phone buzzed incessantly in her back pocket and she pulled it out to reveal a text from Director Fury himself. 

ALL SHIELD AGENTS REPORT: CODE RED

Code Red? But that meant that the earth was under attack.

Holy shit.

Michelle snapped into action and burst out in the hallway just in time to see a maid fade to dust. She pounded down the stairs and exploded out onto the crowded street. 

People were fading away everywhere she looked and the ones who were left behind began to scream in panic. She ran over to a television playing in a store front and watched as broadcasts from across the globe showed the same horrifying scene. 

What the hell is going on?

She activated her motorcycle to her location and then rolled out of the way just in time to avoid a car slamming into the store front where she had been standing. She went to check on the passenger of a car. The driver had disappeared. 

Panic tried to claw up her throat, but she forced it down. 

This was what she was trained for. 

This is why SHIELD existed. 

She had to stay calm. 

She had just gotten the passenger safely to the sidewalk and handed her off to a few helpful bystanders, when her motorcycle screeched up beside her. 

She swung her leg over and had been about to speed off when chills erupted all over her body and her vision went black. 

She blinked her eyes a few times until a scene appeared in front of her that was completely different than where she had been before. Debris and dust floated around her ominously beneath an orange sky. She stood stunned in what appeared to be a planet's graveyard. 

Where am I? 

She blinked again and suddenly she was on the ground staring up at Tony Stark himself. He was injured, and his eyes were filled with soul-crushing guilt. 

Her entire body was screaming in pain. It felt like her molecules were being repeatedly torn apart and put back together. She was going to die. 

She spoke but it wasn’t her voice that came out.

“I’m sorry.” 

Everything faded to black and then she was slung forcefully back into her own reality. 

Her chest ached, and the air had been knocked out of her lungs.

She knew that voice. 

That was the voice from her dreams. 

Something wasn’t right. 

Something inside of her had broken. 

It felt like a tether that she hadn’t even known was holding her to the earth snapped and now inexplicably she was more alone than she ever had been. 

For a moment, she sat completely still-mystified by the entire out of body experience as the world erupted in chaos around her. 

The red blinking message on the screen of her motorcycle snapped her back into action. Michelle shook her head and then wiped away the tears that had begun to fall down her cheeks without her permission. 

She didn’t have time for tears. 

She had to go to work.


End file.
